A pilot rescued with two young family members after they survived a night on the wing of an airplane partially submerged in an Alaska lake is a student pilot who was not authorized to fly with passengers.

A small Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser was reported overdue Sunday night. It was believed to be near Tustumena Lake in Alaska. Rescue teams assembled to locate the plane.

One of the searchers said there were many miracles at play, from the plane not sinking, to the survivors being able to stay perched atop the wing, to the three surviving the night in temperatures dipping into the 20s.