A high-tech search operation in Michigan's Lake Superior has, so far, failed to uncover any evidence of a plane that crashed in 1968, killing three researchers. The Beechcraft Queen Air went down near the Keweenaw Peninsula, and an autonomous vessel launched Monday has been sending sonar and data readings to the search team. Despite these efforts, no definitive aircraft targets have been identified, according to Travis White from Michigan Technological University's Great Lakes Research Center.
The autonomous vessel allows the team to deploy a device to collect images and additional data from potential hotspots on the lakebed. "What we've been seeing so far are big stones or out-of-the-ordinary rock features," stated Wayne Lusardi, a state maritime archaeologist. The ill-fated flight, which occurred on October 23, 1968, carried pilot Robert Carew, co-pilot Gordon Jones, and graduate student Velayudh Krishna Menon, who were researching temperature and water radiation for the National Center for Atmospheric Research.
Though seat cushions and fragments of metal have surfaced over the years, the main wreckage and the bodies of the victims have never been found. The search mission, organized by the Smart Ships Coalition, consisting of over 60 entities, will conclude this week. If the wreckage is located, it won't be raised, but confirmation would solve the decades-old mystery. Lusardi noted, "There's still a lot of post-processing of data to come in the next few weeks," indicating further potential searches depending on weather conditions later in the month. (This story was generated by Newser's AI chatbot. Source: the AP)
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