Initially, their rescuer thought he had spotted the wreckage of a downed plane. But as he got closer, he realized the three survivors were standing on its wings.

An investigation continues for an Alaska pilot who waited for hours in an icy lake for rescue on the wing with two young family members for possible misuse of his student license.

Terry Godes, the pilot who found the plane wreckage, said it was a miracle the man and his daughters survived the crash and freezing temperatures on the wing of the plane on an icy lake overnight.