VT VT - 5 Men & Plane Missing Over Lake Champlain - Burlington - 27 Jan 1971

[k.nikita]

Unsolved- Plane still missing 52 years ago today. My dad was the corporate pilot whose plane crashed in 1971 immediately after takeoff with four other men on board. The plane and 5 missing men have never been found, it's presumed in Lake Champlain,several searches have taken place but to date nothing has been found.

History Space: Mystery of the missing jet

 

[YaYa_521]

History Space: Mystery of the missing jet

A corporate aircraft vanishes over Lake Champlain on a cold 1971 night

www.burlingtonfreepress.com

SBM

• George G. Nikita, 41 (pilot)
• Donald E. Myers, 33 (copilot)
• Robert “Randy” R. William III, 34, (Cousins consultant)
• Frank B. Wilder (Cousins consultant)
• Richard Kirby Windsor, 32 (Cousins consultant)

• red and white jet had “N400CP” painted on each engine pod located on either side of the tail. N400CP was a Rockwell Jet Commander 1121A, twin-engine, 10-person jet carrying the serial number of “30.”

 

[YaYa_521]

Welcome to WS, @k.nikita!

Thank you for joining us at Websleuths (WS). I can't imagine how difficult all these years have been for you. My thoughts are with you as you search for the answers to help bring your dad home. You won't find a friendlier, more helpful group of people than the members here at WS. I'm confident they'll guide you to resources that will hopefully help in your efforts to find your dad and the other four men who disappeared with him.

Please consider applying to become a Verified Insider (VI). The process is easy and strictly confidential. As a VI you will be able to share whatever information you have without having to provide links to main stream media (MSM) and law enforcement (LE) sources, which are likely hard to come by given the amount of time that has gone by since their flight.

Good luck!
YaYa

 

[dotr]

https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-more-than-half-a-century-later-experts-found-wreckage-of-jet-that-disappeared-with-5-men-in-vermont/

''Crew finds submerged wreckage of missing jet that mysteriously disappeared more 50 years ago​

by: LISA RATHKE, Associated Press Jun 11, 2024''
''The discovery of the wreckage gives the families of the victims “some closure and answers a lot of the questions they had,” he said.
While relatives are grateful and relieved that the plane has been found, the discovery also opens up more questions and old wounds.
“To have this found now … it’s peaceful feeling, at the same time it’s a very sad feeling,” Barbara Nikita, niece of pilot George Nikita, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. “We know what happened. We’ve seen a couple of photos. We’re struggling I think with that now.”
Frank Wilder’s father, also Frank Wilder, was a passenger on the plane.''

 

[cenazoic]

Wow! A guy with an ROV found it after *17 previous searches* over the years. Incredible, and happy the families now have some answers.

 

[dotr]

 

[Gemmie]

https://www.wdtn.com/news/u-s-world/ap-us-news/ap-more-than-half-a-century-later-experts-found-wreckage-of-jet-that-disappeared-with-5-men-in-vermont/

''Crew finds submerged wreckage of missing jet that mysteriously disappeared more 50 years ago​

by: LISA RATHKE, Associated Press Jun 11, 2024''
''The discovery of the wreckage gives the families of the victims “some closure and answers a lot of the questions they had,” he said.
While relatives are grateful and relieved that the plane has been found, the discovery also opens up more questions and old wounds.
“To have this found now … it’s peaceful feeling, at the same time it’s a very sad feeling,” Barbara Nikita, niece of pilot George Nikita, said in an interview with The Associated Press on Tuesday. “We know what happened. We’ve seen a couple of photos. We’re struggling I think with that now.”
Frank Wilder’s father, also Frank Wilder, was a passenger on the plane.''

I hope @k.nikita is around to get the good news!!! I am SO glad she's getting closure on this case!!!

 

[Richard]

Photos of Rockwell Jet Commander 1121 similar to the missing plane in Lake Champlain.

LINK:

Rockwell 1121 Jet Commander | Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives

www.baaa-acro.com

 

[?!?]

How Garry Kozak, age 77, did it:

A shipwreck? No, it's a jet that vanished 53 years ago. Undersea searcher shares his story

Undersea searcher Garry Kozak shares a wild tale of failed trips and the discovery in May of a jet that vanished in 1971 with five people aboard.

www.usatoday.com

 

[?!?]

Includes photo:

A Private Jet Vanished in Vermont in 1971. After 53 Years, It’s Finally Reappeared.

How one discovery changed everything.

www.popularmechanics.com