We'd love to hear eyewitness Ships have sailed the Great Lakes since at least the 17th century, when the Le Griffon became the first recorded ship to travel the waters of Lake Michigan. According to The Sun, journalist Florence de Changy, who had been investigating the cause of the disappearance of flight MH370, has claimed in her new book that the passenger plane may have been shot down by the US Air Force ina failed attempt at re-routing the course of the aircraft. More from us: 130 Dwellings Found At Ringheiligtum Pmmelte, Germanys Stonehenge. ", "It was hard knowing that's all my mother had," said Cathy Barton-Snyder, who was 3-years old when her father died on Flight 2501, and now resides in San Antonio, Texas. 2023 www.freep.com. New Grand Rapids fire chief gets emotional after swearing in, shares priorities, 'GET AWARE' | How you can help during Mental Health Awareness Month, 13 On Your Side Forecast: More Wind, Rain & Snow, Can an EV make it around the state of Michigan? And on June 24, 2015, the 65th anniversary of the disappearance, there was a memorial service. Notifications from this discussion will be disabled. "This art will hopefully show the moments right before whatever caused the plane to crash.". Researchers say they believe it was likely related to a storm. ", New York-La Guardia Airport, NY (LGA/KLGA), Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, MN (MSP/KMSP), Accident investigation report completed and information captured, 29 km (18.1 mls) NNW off Benton Harbour, MI [Lake Michigan] (. Episode 1. "Anything belonging to the airplane was collected and sent to the Civil Aeronautics Board for investigation, and anything belonging to the passengers went to Northwest Airlines Corporate Headquarters," sand van Heest. Chance of rain 90%.. Evening light rain followed by a mix of rain and snow showers overnight. Safety was harder to do at that time. Why is the Lake Michigan Triangle such a powerful force? See official rules here. And after the search was officially called off five days afterwards, body parts and debris kept washing up on the beaches. Although it wont be evident to viewers outside the tri-state, the reenactment also will shine a light on Washington County, which pleases Commission Chairwoman Diana Irey Vaughan. The Wreck of Northwest Flight 2501 Submerged in Lake Michigan The Coast Guard were able to get divers to the oil slick, but they couldn't go any farther because of bad visibility conditions and the silty bottom. Stream Full Episodes of Expedition Unknown:https://www.discovery.com/tv-shows/expedition-unknown/Subscribe to Discovery:http://bit.ly/SubscribeDiscoveryJoin . aviation industry. In 1921, the ship was transporting supplies when it was found overturned in the water. The pilot asked for clearance to descend lower, but that request was denied by air traffic controllers. Episode 5 . As days passed, partial remains began to wash ashore across Michigan, but the plane never resurfaced. GADSS-compliant global tracking and alerting for airlines and aircraft operators. Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 - Wikipedia ARTC estimated that the two flights would pass each other in the vicinity of Battle Creek, Mich., and that the standard separation of 1,000 feet would not be sufficient because of the turbulence. Its exact location hasnt been revealed, due to ongoing research and out of respect for the nearby Grand Traverse Bay Native American community. As . However, their reason for taking the aircraft remains a mystery. "Things that have not seen the light of day for more than 60 years.". Theories surrounding UFOs and extraterrestrials roaming the skies of the Lake Michigan Triangle are spurred on by the mysterious disappearance of Northwest Airlines flight 2501. Chopp (pronounced Chope) also is a longtime aviator he learned to fly at Greene County Airport at 18. An extensive search of the lake and nearby ports was undertaken by Hackley and Hume, the company that owned the Thomas Hume, but nothing was found of the ship, not even small debris. Whereas, two police officers reported that about two hours after the last communication with flight 2501, they saw a strange red light hovering over Lake Michigan, and disappearing after ten minutes. Please log in, or sign up for a new account to continue reading. Great Lakes Ghost Ship wreck: View photos of the Cornelia B. Windiate. This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. Over the past decade, searchers have covered more than 600 square miles of Lake Michigan, seeking the plane wreckage. Please purchase a subscription to continue reading. Its also been the scene of unexplained phenomena, from mysterious ice blocks falling from the sky to balls of fire and strange, hovering lights. She was frantic, so she woke her husband and toddler. You have permission to edit this article. Eerie disappearances have continued to occur along the lakes waters. "Gone But Never Forgotten" (Northwest Flight 2501) - YouTube Authorities at the time gave relatives of the passengers and crew very little information about what happened. Be Proactive. My Theory: This is a hard one. An intensive search of the Lake Michigan area was commenced at daylight June 24. During the same period, all CAA (Civil Aeronautics Administration) radio stations in the Chicago-Minneapolis area tried to contact the flight on all frequencies. McFarland went to rest in his cabin after hours of navigating his crew through icy waters. Were very fortunate to be selected as the host airport for the show, she said. Many of Merle Barton's possessions are on display at the museum for the public to see, including a stamp book he was carrying, several pieces of clothing, including the shredded suit jacket believed to have been worn by Mr. Barton when the plane crashed. There is still a search going on right now, with it being led by Valerie Van Heest. This led him to believe hed been traveling. The ship was transporting lumber when it mysteriously vanished. "If we find anything, it will be a debris field, not an airplane.". I'll start this from the beginning, and try to trace this to today. Van Heest pored over newspapers and other historical documents about theflight. (Photo Credit: NOAA Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 2.0). Thank you for Reading! This was 58 pounds below the maximum permissible takeoff weight, and the load was distributed so that the center of gravity was within approved limits. Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. "We've been searching in waters as shallow as 100 feet and as deep as 350 feet," van Heest said. At approximately 2325, June 23, 1950, a C-54A-DC, N-95425, owned and operated by Northwest Airlines, crashed into Lake Michigan approximately 18 miles north-northwest of Benton Harbor, Mich. None of the 55 passengers and three crew members survived. This dialogue will close in 60 seconds or you can click the exit icon in the top right corner to go back to the flight map immediately. 'Time travel' may lead explorers to sunken wreckage of doomed airliner racist or sexually-oriented language. A Northwest Orient Airlines Douglas DC-4 (registration: N95425) operating a daily service between New . One of the great Lake Michigan mysteries is the disappearance of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501. Given the mythology and alleged paranormal aspects of Englands Stonehenge, its theorized the one beneath Lake Michigan contains similar properties. Then, at 12:13 AM EST, Captain Lind radioed in to ATC at Benton Harbor with a request to descend to 2500 feet. Share with Us. Eventually, the crew decided to forcibly open the captains locked door and were surprised to find he was gone. We take a closer look at the story behind the only large commercial aircraft in US history to go missing. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time. Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) crash report findings. "We hope to answer both of those.". Expedition Unknown - Wikipedia We recommend moving this block and the preceding CSS link to the HEAD of your HTML file. By using and further navigating this website, you accept this. Flight data API with on-demand flight status and flight tracking data. That will be in notes below. At 2149, when over Cleveland, Ohio, a cruising altitude of 4,000 feet was again requested by the flight and this time approved by ARTC. The Search for the Westmoreland: Lake Michigans Treasure Shipwreck and Still Missing: Rethinking the D.B. Merle Barton's hair styling kit recovered from the surface of Lake Michigan, and now on display at the Michigan Maritime Museum. A plane flying cross-country from New York City 70 years ago disappeared over Lake Michigan, killing all 58 on board. According to Stonehouse, that is the fate Flight 2501 from Northwest Orient Airlines met on June 23, 1950. Newly-found mass grave in South Haven's Lakeview Cemetery for Flight 2501 victims. We hope that you continue to enjoy our free content. Changy suggests that the plane was carrying electric equipment to China without the US approval, which may have led to the confrontation by the US Air Force. Malaysian Airlines flight 370 disappeared on March 8, 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing. Read. "My uncle went up and identified the things as belonging to my dad.". On June 23rd, 1950, Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 took off from New York en route to Seattle but never reached its destination. For the previous decade, famous author and underwater archaeologist, Clive Cussler has funded the search for Flight 2501, sending Ralph Wilbanks, one of the world's best side-scan sonar operators, to South Haven. In it, he stated: The Great Lakes account for more unexplained disappearances per unit area than the Bermuda Triangle., Boundaries of the Lake Michigan Triangle. The flight plan was to cruise at 6000 feet until they reach Minneapolis. (Photo Credit: Click On Detroit / Google Maps). We find out. The Mystery of Northwest Flight 2501 - Discovery Another schooner, the Rosabelle, had two crews disappear while onboard in the middle of Lake Michigan. "Mysteries Beneath the Waves", which will focus on shipwrecks in the Great Lakes, and "Fatal Crossing: The Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501. For the past decade, a group of people has been determined to find Flight 2501, while at the same time doing everything they can to make sure this tragedy is never forgotten.