20250323003349I

Incident · Substantial damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-12 · Kasilof, AK · March 23, 2025

Date: March 23, 2025 · 16:00 local
Place: Kasilof, AK
Phase of flight: Landing: Rollout
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Substantial damage
Aircraft: N3342M
Reported as: Piper PA-12
People aboard: 3
Fatal injuries: 0
Other injuries: 3
Pilot’s certificate: Student
Pilot’s flight hours: 249 total249 in this make and model

N3342MRegistered now · Piper PA-12S/N 12-2201 Airframe modelPiper PA-12 Engine modelLycoming 0-235 series4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Pilot landed on ice covered lake. Pilot misjudged water covering ice and the thickness of the ice and upon touchdown was unable to abort landing. Aircraft broke thru the ice and remained afloat. Pilot evacuated his 2 small children and placed them on the wing of the floating aircraft. Pilot and passengers spent approx 12 hours floating on aircraft before an army national guard helicopter rescued them.

As the FAA filed it

PILOT LANDED ON ICE COVERED LAKE. PILOT MISJUDGED WATER COVERING ICE AND THE THICKNESS OF THE ICE AND UPON TOUCHDOWN WAS UNABLE TO ABORT LANDING. AIRCRAFT BROKE THRU THE ICE AND REMAINED AFLOAT. PILOT EVACUATED HIS 2 SMALL CHILDREN AND PLACED THEM ON THE WING OF THE FLOATING AIRCRAFT. PILOT AND PASSENGERS SPENT APPROX 12 HOURS FLOATING ON AIRCRAFT BEFORE AN ARMY NATIONAL GUARD HELICOPTER RESCUED THEM.