As scientists teach us, space is a kind of matter. And in this matter there are holes, into which not only little things like coins or subway tokens fall, but also larger objects like an army bomber.
Regular flight
No surprises or troubles were expected from this flight. The aircraft (B-25, twin-engine bomber) is reliable, the model has been in operation since 1941 (no complaints, the pilots praise the car), the route (from Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan to Olmsted Air Force Base in Pennsylvania) is known to the slightest bump. How many times the pilots have flown this route - and not to count.
The crew of William Dotson, Charles Smith, John Jamison and Alfred Elliman are not newcomers, they feel more confident in the sky than on the ground. At the last moment, John Ingraham and Walter Souci, also pilots, approached them and asked for a lift to Pennsylvania. “Of course, guys, what are we talking about! Really, it will be cramped, bear with me? " - "Let's be patient"
On January 31, 1956 at 11:30 the B-25 took off. Both the crew and passengers expected to be in Pennsylvania in 1 hour and 40 minutes. However, they did not fly even half the distance when the problems began.
Emergency landing
Promotional video:
Charles Smith drew attention to the incomprehensible excessive consumption of fuel: “Commander! We won't have enough fuel to get to Olmsted at this rate, we will crash down the road! Dotson gave the command to change course and fly to Pittsburgh for refueling.
The plane flew up to the city as in a song, "on parole and on one wing," burning the last drops of fuel. And yet there was not enough fuel. B-25 fell directly on the city. The commander decided to put the car on the Monongahila River flowing through the city.
The plane fell into the water and remained afloat for several minutes. The crew and passengers tried to swim to the shore. Three were picked up by a boat, which hurried to the rescue. Elleman made it to the shore himself. But two drowned (what to do, the end of January is not the most favorable time for swimming).
Missing plane
After rescuing the pilots, the authorities were concerned with the problem of the aircraft. To prevent the fallen B-25 from interfering with navigation, it had to be raised and here the strangest thing began: the plane could not be found, it was gone!
Yes, the river where the plane crashed was deep: six meters. So after all, an airplane is not a small trinket that can roll under the bed: 16 meters in length, wingspan of 20 meters, and yet neither the tail nor the wings protruded above the water.
Headline in the newspaper about the crash of B-25
Boats and fishing vessels scurried over the crash site of the bomber, trying to find a multi-meter steel car - to no avail. On the second day of the search, the military joined the civilians - a coast guard ship arrived. (The military was very worried about the incomprehensible disappearance of fuel from the aircraft tanks during the flight.) However, the military, with all their scientific equipment, did not find anything.
The authorities put the sunken plane up for auction. The right to raise the "drowned man" and sell him for scrap was bought by a certain John Evans for $ 10,000. The only thing left was to find a bomber. The divers hired by Evans searched the entire bottom and after a week of searching they firmly declared: there is no plane at the bottom of Monogahila.
What happened to the B-25? What "hole" did the 16-meter car fall into? Why did you start to overspend on fuel? There are questions, no answers.