passengers on northwest flight 2501
In time, they became the military’s primary transport aircraft to operate across both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. Her disappearance marked the largest aviation disaster in world history to that point. What happened the night Northwest Flight 2501 disappeared, and do answers lie in the chilly depths of Lake Michigan? No major piece of wreckage ever was found. A small, twisted piece of light metal was pulled up in the net and turned over to the Coast Guard. These small pieces would be the only clues they had. It ran at the South Haven-based museum from 2014 – 2018 and then moved to the Yankee Airforce Museum in Belleview, Michigan, where it is currently on exhibit. There were 55 passengers, including 27 … 1998 By 11:51 PM Eastern Time, Flight 2501 had entered the vicinity of the growing storm. The airplane, along with 58 men, woman and children had disappeared, leaving few clues as to what had occurred 3,500 feet in the air. 62 years later: The search for Northwest flight 2501 | kare11.com . This transcontinental flight between New York City and Seattle was a daily flight path for the airline. The crew checked in with Northwest flight control operations center at LaGuardia Airport to prepare for the flight. 2004 He was checked out on DC-4 type aircraft and qualified on the Milwaukee to New York segment five years earlier. The flight plan called for a cruising altitude of 6,000 feet to Minneapolis. Winds whipped up the lake’s surface. On June 23, 1950, a Northwest Airlines DC-4 plane vanished over Lake Michigan – and has never been found. Here, a plane with 55 passengers and 3 crew members vanished without a trace, with only a smattering of debris and a few bodies washing up. Flight status, tracking, and historical data for Southwest 2501 (WN2501/SWA2501) including scheduled, estimated, and actual departure and arrival times. Passengers who boarded Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 bound for Seattle, Washington, with a scheduled stopover in Minneapolis, Minnesota were looking forward to a long, but comfortable flight. Small bits of debris floated endlessly over the surface of the fogbound lake. R. T. Helm, as saying he had witnessed the plane fly over his home at 12:20 am. As the DC-4 passed over Battle Creek, Michigan at 11:51 EST, at 3500 feet, it entered the storm front. 8:30 PM EST, LaGuardia Airport, NYC. William Bowie, who operated a restaurant/gas station in the tiny crossroads of Glenn vividly related to the Holland Sentinel the story of how he was sitting in front of his station at 12:15 AM on Saturday and saw the plane cruise over the area, heard its motors “plunk” twice and saw a “queer flash of light.” He claimed to have ten witnesses to the incident. Lying ahead of the aircraft was a line of thunderstorms over … One month later the Civil Aeronautics Board conducted a hearing in Chicago, interviewing over 30 individuals, including shore based witnesses, Northwest Airlines personal, and Coast Guard and Naval personnel over two days. In 2018 MSRA began its own operation using a side scan sonar that had been donated by MSRA associate Kevin McGregor, but could only cover territory in water less than 150 feet because that unit had limited range. The flight left New York’s LaGuardia on time in the evening of June 23, and proceeded normally towards Minneapolis. Co-Pilot Verne F. Wolfe had been with Northwest Airlines almost as long as Captain Lind had. The plane was given the military designation “C-54”. As the DC-4 passed over Battle Creek, Michigan at 11:51 PM eastern time, Captain Lind notified Northwest’s Air Traffic Control Center at Chicago by radio that he estimated passing over Milwaukee at 11:37 PM central time. In memory of the 58 passengers and crew of Northwest Airlines flight 2501, which disappeared and crashed into an unknown location in Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, 69 years ago today. Clive Cussler backed her decision to write a book. It was disassembled in an aircraft factory and used as the model for a very similar four-engine bomber that, thankfully, never got beyond the prototype stage. A 2007 inductee in the Women Diver’s Hall of Fame, Winner of several state and national book awards, A preferred speaker for both small and large events, Website Design: Valerie van Heest Technical Support: Rob Macy Portrait Photography: Laura Veldhoff Underwater Portrait Photography: Joe Oliver Underwater Shipwreck Banner Photograph: Robert Underhill. Surf Zone Shipwrecks (lost and found) The uneventful flight passed safely over Cleveland, Ohio and continued west toward Minneapolis, Minnesota — a major hub for Northwest Airlines. Since Flight 2501 was flying only at 3,500 feet, the pilot did not have a chance to right the plane before impact. He maintained his qualification in DC-4s, logging almost 200 hours on that aircraft, and had flown over the route continuously. In 2016, Van Heest had an opportunity rarely afforded authors or explorers. There were 55 passengers, including 27 women, 22 men, and six children. APPEARANCE ON DISCOVERY CHANNEL’S SHOW “EXPEDITION UNKNOWN”. Debra O'Connell, 24, Phoenix: Jamie Amabile, Phoenix: Robert Gaines, Rochester Hills, Mich. Michael M. Peacock, 39, Phoenix: Mildred Avedisian, 52, Tucson. Before takeoff, Captain Lind was advised of thunderstorms over Lake Michigan, but other planes did not report severe turbulence and the flight was cleared for takeoff. Nicknamed “Sacred Cow,” the aircraft was used to take FDR to the Yalta Conference. All the groundbreaking new technology on the DC-4E meant that it was costly, complex and had higher than anticipated operating costs, so Douglas thoroughly revised the design, resulting in the smaller and simpler definitive DC-4 / C-54. 13 hours later — at 6:30 Saturday evening — the US Coast Guard cutter, In 2004, Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) began a joint venture project with nationally claimed author/explorer, During the research phase of this project, MSRA board member Valerie van Heest, who later wrote the book, Concurrent to its work with NUMA — and with NUMA’s approval — MSRA partnered with Great Lakes wreck hunter, The organization is very appreciative to the individuals and companies listed here for allowing the team to continue its independent effort, as well as long-time MSRA member, Jack & Valerie van Heest with Josh Gates of. In time she located 52 of the 58 families, and she learned the intimate details of each passenger’s reasons for being on the flight and how their losses affected their families. Captain Robert C. Lind served as pilot with Verne F. Wolfe as first officer and Bonnie Ann Feldman as stewardess. By dawn’s light, it became clear that Flight 2501 had gone down, probably in Lake Michigan. Lost & Found As the plane reached the lakeshore at 12:13 AM EST that evening, Captain Lind, knowing of storms over Lake Michigan, requested clearance from air traffic control to 2,500 feet. Although it is unclear what Captain Lind did when he reached the lakeshore and inevitably saw or felt the storm, at 12:13 AM EST when in the vicinity of Benton Harbor, Michigan (20 miles south of Airway Red 57), Lind requested a descent to 2500 feet, but did not indicate his reason for the request. From 2004 to 2013, the MSRA/NUMA team covered some 450 square miles, and did not locate the wreck, but did find ten significant shipwrecks. Authorities in South Haven closed the popular “South Beach” for nine days after the crash, due to the large number of body parts that washed in among the bathers. Flight 2501 was missing. They were expected to pass each other near Battle Creek, Michigan, and the standard separation of 1,000 feet would not be sufficient due to the turbulence. Captain Carl G. Bowman, skipper of the U. S. Coast Guard cutter Mackinaw told the United Press bureau at Detroit by radiotelephone that “Tiny pieces keep floating to the surface all through the area.” He said his men found hands, ears, a seat armrest and fragments of upholstery. Today, Flight 2501 is listed on nearly every UFO web site as a strange anomaly since some in the Wisconsin area reported a bright light over the lake about two hours after the event. The Coast Guard and the Navy initially mounted a rescue operation off South Haven, but soon realized that no one had survived. It only lasted a second and then was gone.” The witnesses say the plane was not more than 2,000 feet off the ground. Captain Lind also had over 900 hours logged flying solely on instruments. They saw service in every theater of World War II. These emotional stories led Van Heest to begin considering writing a book, which escalated her research. At the time, authorities wanted to determine whether the plane suffered a mid-air explosion, or whether it struck the water intact. On the evening of June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with certification number 10270 and tail-number N-95425, owned by Northwest Airlines and designated Flight 2501, was loaded with 2,500 gallons of fuel, 80 gallons of oil, and 490 lbs of express; and was expecting 55 passengers. In time van Heest, who adopted this as a passion project, amassed a collection of primary information never before considered in the aftermath of the accident and years later had her narrative nonfiction novel, “Fatal Crossing,” about the aircraft’s disappearance and the group’s effort to find the wreckage published. Initially an oil slick spotted near Milwaukee led authorities to believe it crashed there until a commercial fisherman encountered a large floating field of debris off South Haven, Michigan. Close. President Harry S. Truman signed the National Security Act of 1947, creating an independent Air Force, while on board this aircraft on July 12, 1947. Once the area beaches had been cleaned up and re-opened for the 4th of July holiday, the media moved on to report other news. But, you see, accidents happen; the passengers of Northwest Flight 2501 had no way of knowing that this flight would be their last. The quick disappearance of the airplane was attributed to a training crash in Tokyo Bay but, actually. They saw the plane approach from the northeast; follow the highway almost to Glenn, then veer out (west) over the lake. At 5:30 AM Saturday, June 24, the plane officially was presumed lost, as the fuel supply would have been exhausted by that time. The episode called “The Vanished Airliner,” aired in Season 6 and interpreted Van Heest’s book “Fatal Crossing” for television. After the war, she was converted to commercial passenger use. One passenger was so late, he almost missed the flight. Berrien County Prosecutor Louis Kerlikowski and U. S. Coast Guard officials initially speculated that the plane may have “twisted” in the high winds, causing a spark, which ignited the fuel tanks. Late in 1939, the lone DC-4E prototype was sold to Japan. … It includes personal items from a passenger found floating in the waters of Lake Michigan immediately after the accident. In 2006 Valerie van Heest was contacted by the family of a victim, which had heard about the joint team’s search effort. The development of the DC-4 dated back to 1938 when United Airlines conceived the first four-engine, long-range airliner. This four-engine behemoth was flight tested in 1939. Producers from KARE 11 called WZZM to ask for material so they could do a story, since many of the lost passengers were from Minnesota. Later analysis by the Civil Aeronautics Board led to doubts the metal was from the DC-4. If you would like to support the effort, please consider making a charitable donation here. This was ostensibly for use by a Japanese airline, but the buyer turned out to be a front organization for the Japanese Navy and the craft quickly disappeared. Captain Lind had flown for Northwest Airlines since 1941. Northwest-Orient-Airlines-Flug 2501 Am 23. The Coast Guard sent the cutters Mackinaw, Woodbine, Hollyhock and Frederick Lee to the scene over the next few days to assist in the search effort. En route from New York City to Seattle, Northwest Flight 2501, carrying 55 passengers and 3 crew members, had a scheduled stop in Minneapolis. That was the last communication from Flight 2501. NEW LONDON, MINN - Whatever happened to Northwest Flight 2501 is one of the greatest aviation mysteries in the country. The three person crew, along with 55 passengers on the flight all perished in the accident. prompting President Harry S. Truman to commit US forces to defend the country. Four of them spoke with reporters including Mr. and Mrs. Bowie, Danny Thompson and Arnold Rapp. The first dedicated Presidential aircraft was the lone VC-54C, which was modified with a special hydraulic lift for Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s wheelchair. In the 90 days prior to this flight, he had flown 105 hours in DC-4 aircraft and made 15 round trips on the Minneapolis to New York and Minneapolis to Washington routes. The DC-4, used by Northwest Airlines for Flight 2501 was a sturdy and reliable aircraft. I took a look out of the window and he seemed to be flying pretty low. Lost Shipwrecks Captain Robert C. Lind served as pilot with Verne F. Wolfe as first officer and Bonnie Ann Feldman as stewardess. The details may be forgotten, but the horrible losses never will be. Ariz. Numerous sensational newspaper reports detailed the recovery of small parts of bodies, clothing, wallets and other personal effects by the Coast Guard. The engines were geared up one at a time and the plane made its way from the tarmac to the runway. Airplane Losses, VIRTUAL MUSEUM Flight 2501, a Northwest Orient Douglas DC-4 Airliner crashed into Lake Michigan sometime around midnight on June 23, 1950. Thank you! The organization is very appreciative to the individuals and companies listed here for allowing the team to continue its independent effort, as well as long-time MSRA member Richard Sligh and South Haven-based pilot Tony Penrose, who donated toward the gasoline fund. Author and explorer Clive Cussler learned of MSRA’s research and proposed a joint venture expedition to search for the aircraft wreckage in 2004. Initial reports suggested the plane exploded in mid-air, with debris falling into the lake between Glenn and South Haven, Michigan. That was the last communication from Flight 2501. The cabin crew member had already closed the door and had to open it again to let him on. 34, Phoenix: Gregg Files, 35, Chandler, Ariz. Arlene Nelson, Detroit. Since 2004, the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association has spearheaded the research and partnered to attempt to locate the wreckage of Northwest Flight 2501 in a multi-year survey operation. By dawn’s light, it became clear that the DC-4 had crashed. So, on the evening of June 23, 1950, as Northwest Orient Flight 2501, a fully loaded Douglas DC-4, roared westward on a New York-to-Seattle flight bound for a layover in Minneapolis, its 55 passengers were well aware of the dangers. In the three years prior to V-J Day, C-54 crews made nearly 80,000 crossings of the North Atlantic and only three aircraft were lost. To narrow down the search, MSRA began working with renowned Lake Michigan scientist David Schwab, then with NOAA, who developed a more defined, smaller e search area based on drift analysis and hindcasting. Found Shipwrecks MSRA’s tech dive team Todd White, Jeff Vos, and Bob Underhill. 2013 The loss of flight 2501 represented the largest loss of human life in a commercial aviation accident up to that point in 1950. Six months after the loss of Flight 2501, and after careful analysis of the floating remains and communication records, the official cause of the disaster was listed as “unknown”. On June 24th, 1950, Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 left New York City for Seattle. Fulford said the largest piece of wreckage was “no bigger than your hand.”. The C-54 that would later become Flight 2501 was built for the US Air Force by Douglas in Chicago in 1943. Flight 2501 left New York the night of June 23, 1950, en route to Seattle, with a planned stop in Minneapolis. The interior of a DC-4 in the early 1950's. While the wreckage has not yet been found, the production provided a very good overview of the efforts required to conduct a search and the frustrations when objects other than the airliner are found. He had heard of the flight, MSRA’s interest in finding it, and he proposed a joint venture between MSRA and his nonprofit the National Underwater Marine Agency (NUMA), which had located many dozens of lost vessels over the prior two decades, to search for the wreckage. At daybreak, the search and rescue teams began an intense search on the fog-covered lake. Over the years, Valerie van Heest has been collecting photos of the victims of Flight 2501, which claimed the lives of 58 people on June 23, 1950. Flight 2501 was missing! 2007 Cussler too began working with outside experts who studied ocean drift theories, and their theories differed from Schwab’s. Since then other tragedies such as the shooting down of Korean Airlines KAL 007 in 1983, the terrorist bombing of Pan Am flight 103 in Lockerbie, Scotland, or even the loss of John Kennedy Jr.’s private plan off Martha’s Vineyard all remain in our memories. When the plane approached the storm-whipped skies over Lake Michigan, the turbulence would have been a grim reminder of the recent air disasters in the news, … Passengers KIlled Aboard Northwest Airlines Flight 255: William A. Acker. Valerie van Heest said her new book solves the longtime mystery of what happened to Northwest Flight 2501, which disappeared while crossing Lake Michigan in 1950. Wilbanks found two new shipwrecks, again documented by MSRA, but Flight 2501 remained elusive. The “Sacred Cow” is now on display at the US Air Force Museum. 13 hours later — at 6:30 Saturday evening — the US Coast Guard cutter Woodbine found an oil slick, aircraft debris, and an airline logbook floating in Lake Michigan many miles from shore. Initially, the only primary information about the flight came from the Civil Aeronautics report, a 4 page, 6000-word document that provided information about the aircraft, the flight, and the transmissions between the flight operators and the crew. The crash remained in the news for only about two weeks. It was roughly three times the size of its predecessor, the DC-3, with a wingspan of 138 feet and a length of 97 feet. In Part 2, I explored some more cases, and I stumbled across the mystery of Northwest Airlines Flight 2501. By midnight the squall line was raging south down the lake. Concurrent to its work with NUMA — and with NUMA’s approval — MSRA partnered with Great Lakes wreck hunter David Trotter of Undersea Research Associates to conduct expeditions in a different area of about 50 square miles south of the original search. How low, I don’t know.” Helm later was ordered to testify at a hearing in Chicago. At approximately 19:31 the flight departed from LaGuardia Airport. Captain Lind notified Northwest’s Air Traffic Control Center at Chicago by radio that he estimated he would pass over Milwaukee 46 minutes from that time. At various points in the flight, Lind was directed to a lower altitude to maintain clearance with other flights. Had the lost passengers been local West Michigan residents like the passengers aboard the ill-fated steamer Chicora 55 years earlier, then the disaster may have had more impact on residents than just the closing of their local beaches. MSRA researched, dived, and documented those shipwrecks, and those wrecks are profiled elsewhere in this website. He was denied due to other assigned traffic at that level. On Friday, June 23, 1950, Northwest Airlines Flight 2501, operating with a DC-4, departed New York’s LaGuardia airport at 8:30 PM EST and headed west to Seattle Washington, with planed stops in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Spokane, Washington. NUMA and MSRA agreed they would need to expand the search area to some 600 square miles based on the evidence of floating debris. Captain Lind reported that he was over Battle Creek at 3,500 feet and would reach Milwaukee by 11:37 PM Central Time. 2016 Northwest Orient Airlines Flight 2501 is one of the greatest mysteries in modern history. She then passed out … The Tribune also quoted a Douglas Aircraft Company investigator as speculating that the plan had turned onto its back and plunged into the lake upside down. On the other side of the lake, just before midnight Central Time, Northwest Radio at Milwaukee advised New York, Minneapolis and Chicago that Flight 2501 was overdue reporting in at Milwaukee. To undertake this effort, Cussler would send his side scan sonar expert Ralph Wilbanks, a marine archaeologist and owner of Diversified Wilbanks, Inc., to South Haven, Michigan, to work with MSRA, which would be responsible to for compiling the research and developing a search grid. Other witnesses included 30-year old William Bowie Jr., Mrs. June Herring, Ivan Orr, Leo Dorman and several others. Due to Covid-19 Shut downs, the March 25,2020 fundraising event had to be canceled. The fully loaded craft weighed in at 71,342 pounds, just 58 pounds below the maximum permissible take-off weight. It was re-opened on July 3 for the holiday crowds. June 23, 1950. George Amabile, Phoenix: Peter Frank, age and hometown unknown. MSRA is partially funded by members and supporters like you. The plane operating as Flight 2501 was a Douglas DC-4 airliner numbered N-95425. However, because Cussler funded the search, he had ultimate authority where to search. In New York, the evening of Friday, June 23, 1950 was a warm, but pleasant night. On Tuesday the 27th, the Tribune reported the Coast Guard was conducting dragging operations in an attempt to locate a large-enough piece of wreckage to warrant the lowering of hardhat divers to the lake floor. Subsequently, Douglas built 78 additional DC-4s to fill new orders. I'll start this from the beginning, and try to trace this to today. MSRA team with Clive Cussler, Dave Trotter and others. The pilot was 35-year old Captain Robert C. Lind of Hopkins, Minnesota. Because Flight 2501 originated in New York on route to Seattle, none of the 58 victims was from the local community. No cause for the loss ever was determined. The fully loaded craft weighed in at 71,342 pounds, just 58 pounds below the maximum permissible take-off weight. Saturday, June 24, 1950: The Aftermath. 2010 2014 More than half century later, Valerie van Heest became interested in the accident when research conducted in 2003 by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association (MSRA) , cofounded by van Heest, determined that the aircraft had gone down in the same general vicinity as a number of number of lost ships the group hoped to find. Cussler discontinued his team’s participation in 2013, but new leads developed by the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association drew him back in 2015, 2016, and 2017 to continue the hunt. 2005 "There were 55 passengers and 3 crew members aboard Flight 2501," said Valerie van Heest, president of Michigan Shipwreck Research Association, … Over those years she drafted a manuscript that she presumed might be published upon the discovery of the wreck. Here’s the official report: CIVIL AERONAUTICS BOARD OFFICIAL ACCIDENT INVESTIGATION REPORT: NORTHWEST AIRLINES, INC. — BENTON HARBOR, MICH., JUNE 23, 1950. It was the day before North Korea invaded South Korea. As he neared the lake shore, he made his last transmission, requesting a further drop in altitude to 2,500 feet. The search proceeded with a renewed importance to offer closure to those families. A week later, one of the newspapers reported, “Two divers searched the muddy bottom of the lake for six hours, but found no trace of the missing plane.” It was reported by the divers that they sank into two feet of mud on the lake bottom and that visibility was less than one foot. Josh shares his findings. 2018 ‘A terrific flash’ Near South Haven, Mich., a retired Navy commander witnessed “a terrific flash” over Lake Michigan. It had four Pratt and Whitney, R2000 “Wasp” piston engines that could generate 1,450 horsepower. On June 23, 1950, 55 passengers and three crew members boarded Northwest Flight 2501, a DC-4 propliner that made daily treks between New York City and Seattle, Washington. Juni 1950 verschwand eine Douglas DC-4 auf dem Northwest-Orient-Airlines-Flug 2501, der täglich zwischen New York City und Seattle erfolgte. By morning, it was clear that Flight 2501 had crashed. Posted by 1 year ago. The wreckage could not be found by authorities, the cause of the crash could not be determined, and the accident was soon forgotten.