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Crews Search Mon River For B-25 Bomber Wreckage
Craft Never Recovered After Pittsburgh Crash
POSTED: 12:09 pm EDT October 10,
2008
UPDATED: 9:34 pm EDT October 10,
2008
PITTSBURGH -- The B-25 Recovery Group is trying to find wreckage from a bomber crash -- and solve one of Pittsburgh's longest-standing mysteries in the process.A TB-25N medium bomber that ditched in the Monongahela River in 1956 was never recovered. Conspiracy theorists believe it was quickly removed by the government.The Heinz History Center is keeping the legendary Army plane crash alive.
Watch Bob Mayo's Report"What we don't know is what happened to an 18-foot plane in a 20-feet-deep river," said Andy Masich of the Heinz History Center.On Friday morning, shuttle boats with a side-scan sonar and a magnetometer left from the 18th Street launch on the city's South Side and began scanning the river for possible debris.Divers will go into the water to retrieve debris if the sonar equipment gets any hits, according to Bob Sherma of Marion Hill Associates, which is helping to fund the search.So far, the search group has uncovered a couple of cars but no pieces of wreckage from the plane crash."We did find a car this morning," said Craig Thorngren of the B-25 Recovery Group. "The key is in the ignition; the license plate is missing."Crews were able to locate the car using sonar and send in a remote control sub to get a closer look."In fact, we have to use a notebook computer with a high-resolution screen. A normal notebook screen will not show the detail," said Karl Luttrell of the B-25 Recovery Group.The bomber -- a Mitchell B-25 -- was headed from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to Olmstead Air Force Base in Harrisburg, Pa., when it crashed in the Mon on Jan. 31, 1956. The crew survived the crash, but the cold water killed two of the six members.The team insists it's not in the plane hunt for the glory."If we find it, all of Pittsburgh finds it," said Bob Shema of the B-25 Recovery Group.
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Watch Bob Mayo's Report"What we don't know is what happened to an 18-foot plane in a 20-feet-deep river," said Andy Masich of the Heinz History Center.On Friday morning, shuttle boats with a side-scan sonar and a magnetometer left from the 18th Street launch on the city's South Side and began scanning the river for possible debris.Divers will go into the water to retrieve debris if the sonar equipment gets any hits, according to Bob Sherma of Marion Hill Associates, which is helping to fund the search.So far, the search group has uncovered a couple of cars but no pieces of wreckage from the plane crash."We did find a car this morning," said Craig Thorngren of the B-25 Recovery Group. "The key is in the ignition; the license plate is missing."Crews were able to locate the car using sonar and send in a remote control sub to get a closer look."In fact, we have to use a notebook computer with a high-resolution screen. A normal notebook screen will not show the detail," said Karl Luttrell of the B-25 Recovery Group.The bomber -- a Mitchell B-25 -- was headed from Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada to Olmstead Air Force Base in Harrisburg, Pa., when it crashed in the Mon on Jan. 31, 1956. The crew survived the crash, but the cold water killed two of the six members.The team insists it's not in the plane hunt for the glory."If we find it, all of Pittsburgh finds it," said Bob Shema of the B-25 Recovery Group. Related Links:
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