Draft:Ghost Bomber
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A ghost bomber is a
from List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft (1955–1959)#1956
USAF North American TB-25N Mitchell, 44-29125, "converted for passengers", on cross country flight from Nellis AFB, Nevada to Olmsted AFB, Pennsylvania, after departing Selfridge AFB, Michigan suffers fuel starvation northeast of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in mid-afternoon, attempts to divert to Greater Pittsburgh Airport, ditches in the Monongahela River at the 4.9-mile (7.9 km) marker, west of the Homestead High-Level Bridge, drifts c. 1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream in 8–10 knots current, remaining afloat for 10-15 minutes. All six crew evacuate but two are lost in the 35 °F (2 °C) water before rescue. "Police, a heroic truck driver and rivermen combined to pull the four survivors from the stream, swollen by recent rains and melting snow. None of the survivors suffered serious injury. 'I felt like a block of ice when I was brought into shore,' said M.Sgt. Alfred J. Alleman, 36, of Las Vegas, Nev. 'I was hanging on a log with the others but it couldn't support all of us and I set out for shore because I guess I'm an above-average swimmer. I'm sure glad I was. That river was mighty chilly and the current (about 15 miles an hour) was strong.'" The other survivors were Maj. William L. Dotson, 33, pilot, of San Antonio, Texas, commander of the Nellis AFB Weather Office; Capt. John F. Hamieson, 32, Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania; and Airman 2d Class Charles L. Smith, 18, Philadelphia. S.Sgt. Walter E. Soocey, 32, of Palmer, Alaska, was listed as missing, along with an unidentified passenger whose name was withheld pending notification of next of kin.[1][2] Search for sunken bomber suspended 14 February with no success – aircraft is thought to have possibly settled in submerged gravel pit area in 32 feet (9.8 m) of water, c. 150 feet (46 m) from shore, possibly now covered by 10-15 feet (3.0-4.6 m) of silt. This crash remains one of the Pittsburgh region's unsolved mysteries.[3]
from Monongahela River
The river was the site of a famous airplane crash that has become the subject of urban legends and conspiracy theories. Early on the morning of January 31, 1956, a B-25 bomber en route from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to Olmsted Air Force Base in Pennsylvania crashed into the river near the Glenwood Bridge in Homestead, Pennsylvania. The six crewmen survived the initial crash, but two of them succumbed in the cold water and drowned. Despite the relatively shallow water, the aircraft was never recovered and became known as the "ghost bomber".[4][5] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published a graphical representation of the flight path and flight details in 1999.[6][7][8] As of 2018, the bomber has not been found.
North American TB-25N Mitchell 44-29125, on cross country flight from Nellis AFB, Nevada to Olmsted AFB, Pennsylvania, after departing Selfridge AFB, Michigan suffers fuel starvation NE of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania in mid-afternoon, attempts to divert to Greater Pittsburgh AFB, ditches in the Monongahela River at the 4.9-mile (7.9 km) marker, west of the Homestead High-Level Bridge, drifts ~1.5 miles (2.4 km) downstream in 8-10 knots. current, remaining afloat for 10-15 minutes. All six crew evacuate but two are lost in the 35 °F (2 °C) water before rescue. Search for sunken bomber suspended February 14 with no success – aircraft is thought to have possibly settled in submerged gravel pit area in 32 feet (9.8 m) of water, ~150 feet (46 m) from shore, possibly now covered by 10-15 feet of silt. This crash remains one of the Pittsburgh region's unsolved mysteries.[3]