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ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) — A student pilot, John Morris Jr., made headlines after being rescued with two young relatives from the wing of a plane that had partially submerged in a lake in Alaska. Notably, Morris was not authorized to carry passengers, according to officials and federal aviation records.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has initiated disciplinary proceedings against Morris, as confirmed by Mark Ward of the National Transportation Safety Board. On Wednesday, he revealed that Morris has not been forthcoming with investigators about the circumstances surrounding the flight.
Ward mentioned that Morris has not responded to inquiries from federal officials and failed to report the incident within the mandatory 24-hour timeframe. “The FAA informed me that he is still a student pilot, holds no application for a full pilot’s license, and reportedly has a history of violating regulations concerning passenger transport,” Ward stated. “At this stage, we are uncertain whether the landing was intentional or a result of an emergency, and Morris remains uncooperative.”
Attempts by The Associated Press to obtain comments from Morris went unanswered.
The aircraft was declared missing on Sunday near Tustumena Lake, situated approximately 80 miles (129 kilometers) southwest of Anchorage. A group of volunteer pilots set out the following day, during which one pilot located the downed plane and the three occupants on the wing.
Rescue operations were promptly carried out by the Alaska Army National Guard, deploying a helicopter from Anchorage to transport the survivors to a nearby hospital, where they were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
Following interviews with the helicopter’s crew, Ward suggested that the aircraft likely landed near a glacier on the frozen lake, subsequently breaking through the ice and beginning to sink. It’s still unclear whether Morris intentionally landed on the lake or faced a mechanical failure that forced the emergency landing.
“If this was due to a mechanical issue, it is crucial to recover the aircraft to ascertain the cause,” Ward noted.
The unique design of the plane’s canvas or fabric-covered wings provided buoyancy, preventing it from sinking entirely. “That is what ultimately saved them,” Ward remarked.
Morris successfully managed to help the young girls exit the aircraft while it was gradually submerging. Interestingly, their clothing remained dry upon rescue, but Morris experienced hypothermia by the time help arrived.
Ward also disclosed that Morris’s cellphone became inoperable due to water damage.
A conference call involving the FAA took place on Tuesday with Morris’s wife, where she assured that Morris would reach out to the agency; however, that communication never occurred, as per Ward’s report.
Federal records indicate that Morris received his student pilot license in 2018. Violations involving student pilots carrying passengers are relatively common, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association. The FAA possesses the authority to suspend or revoke a student pilot’s license, impose fines, and recoup investigation costs.
Ward concluded by indicating that in instances where a student pilot unlawfully transported passengers and encountered an accident, any related insurance claim would likely be dismissed, leaving the pilot liable for damages and responsible for recovering the aircraft from the lake.
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