Pilot Rescued with Two Girls from Alaska Lake Was Not Authorized to Fly Passengers: FAA

A student pilot who was rescued alongside two young girls after spending a night on the wing of a partially submerged plane in an Alaska lake was not authorized to fly with passengers, according to federal aviation officials and records. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated disciplinary action against the pilot, John Morris Jr., following the incident, as confirmed by National Transportation Safety Board investigator Mark Ward.

Morris, who has not cooperated with federal investigators, failed to return their calls or report the accident within the required 24-hour period. Ward stated that the FAA had informed him that Morris was a student pilot with no application for a full pilot’s license, and he had a history of violating the rule that prohibits student pilots from flying passengers. Investigators are still uncertain whether the plane’s landing on Tustumena Lake was intentional or due to an emergency, as Morris has not provided details of the incident.

The plane was reported missing on Sunday near Tustumena Lake, located southwest of Anchorage. A volunteer search crew located the aircraft with the survivors on its wing the following day. The Alaska Army National Guard was dispatched for a rescue operation, airlifting the trio to safety. The pilot, who had managed to get the girls out of the sinking plane, suffered from hypothermia but was otherwise in stable condition, while the girls were unharmed. Federal aviation records indicate that Morris was licensed as a student pilot in 2018, and flying passengers is a common violation of FAA rules. If an insurance claim is made for the incident, it is likely to be denied due to the unlawful nature of the flight.