A dad and his two small daughters endured a harrowing 12-hour fight for survival on the wing of a crashed plane in Tustumena Lake, Alaska. They were finally rescued there by the Alaska Army National Guard. The event occurred on the eastern shore of Tustumena Lake. It is the largest freshwater body on the Kenai Peninsula, located approximately 80 mi (130 km) southwest of Anchorage. On Monday, a tense rescue was still playing out in the mountainous area. This event illustrated the dangerous and unpredictable terrain that accompanies such conflict-filled missions.
Tustumena Lake is the sixth largest lake in Alaska, spanning an impressive 60,000 acres (24,200 hectares). Its dangerous winds are exacerbated by the mountainous terrain that envelops it. These winds have been described by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game as “infamous.” The NWS in Anchorage has called them "squirrelly." The majestic surrounding glacier and mountains create a dramatic landscape that holds a dangerous secret. Even a small disruption would upend this precarious landscape gem, often with sudden and catastrophic consequences.
"Then just the way it’s placed right there at the heel of that, or at the toe of that glacier where you’ve got mountains on both sides, you know, just a few miles to the west, you’ve got Cook Inlet running back and forth with huge temperature and tidal swings every day," Lt Col Brendon Holbrook explained.
"It’s just a recipe for chaos and for turbulence," he added.
When the plane went down in the frozen waters of Tustumena Lake, the survivors were forced to weather a long, cold night. Lt Col Brendon Holbrook, THE USAF Lt Col Brendon Holbrook mentioned that one of the survivors was showing symptoms of hypothermia.
"We don’t know to what extent, but he was hypothermic," Holbrook stated.
In that emergency, 207th was able to quickly deploy a helicopter from its base in Anchorage. The original rescue plan was to raise the survivors off the plane wing with a rescue hoist. Strong winds kicked up by the helicopter rotors rendered this approach very hazardous. Terry Godes, who was part of the rescue operation, described the picture.
"They spent a long, cold, dark, wet night out on top of a wing of an airplane that they weren’t planning on," Godes said.
"It kind of broke my heart to see that, but as I got closer down and lower, I could see that there’s three people on top of the wing," he continued.
In the midst of all that chaos and confusion, Godes assured us that the survivors were conscious and responsive throughout the rescue.
"They were alive and responsive and moving around," he affirmed.
For the survivors, it was a fragile existence. To add insult to injury, the aircraft almost sank entirely to the bottom of the lake. Fortunately, the plane’s tail had refrozen into the surrounding ice, which saved it from sinking completely.
"Ultimately the crew of that airplane were lucky, because from what my guys told me, that plane was in the ice with the tail refrozen, and if that tail hadn’t refrozen, it would have sunk," Lt Col Brendon Holbrook remarked.
The rescue mission highlighted the dangers that exist when you are attempting to drive or fly through these remote and desolate landscapes. The winds around Tustumena Lake pose significant challenges not only for boats but for aircraft operating in the area. Accordingly, pilots and mariners are strongly advised to exercise the utmost caution when entering this area.
Although they all survived, the father and his daughters suffered. As wonderful as that amazing result is, give credit too to the rapid response of the emergency responders who made it possible. What they didn’t expect was for that night to be filled with trouble. Their survival is testament to the remarkable power of human resilience and grit in overcoming challenges.