Experts believe they have found the wreckage of a plane that disappeared in Lake Champlain during a snowy night in Vermont in 1971. The aircraft, carrying five passengers, vanished shortly after departing from Burlington en route to Providence, Rhode Island.
The missing plane was a 10-seat Jet Commander. Despite extensive search efforts, including at least 17 attempts, no trace of the jet was found. The winter’s icy conditions on the lake further hindered the search efforts after only four days.
However, recent exploration by underwater searcher Garry Kozak and his team, using a remotely operated vehicle, has produced promising results. They discovered wreckage with a matching custom paint scheme near the last known location provided by the Burlington radio control tower. Sonar images show the wreck lying 200 feet (60 meters) deep near Juniper Island.
“With all those pieces of evidence, we’re 99% absolutely sure,” Garry Kozak told the Independent on Monday.
The discovery of the wreckage of the plane provides the families of the victims “some closure and answers a lot of the questions they had”
The discovery of the wreckage of the plane provides the families of the victims “some closure and answers a lot of the questions they had,” he said. Although relatives are grateful and relieved that the plane has been found, the discovery also raises more questions and reopens old wounds.
“To have this found now … it’s a 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 named Frank Wilder, was a passenger on the plane.
“Spending 53 years not knowing if the plane was in the lake or maybe on a mountainside around there somewhere was distressing,” said Wilder, who lives outside of Philadelphia. “And again, I’m feeling relieved that I know where the plane is now but unfortunately it’s opening other questions and we have to work on those now.”
While debris from the plane surfaced near Shelburne Point in the spring of 1971, an underwater search that May was unsuccessful. Determined to find answers, searches continued over the years, with at least 17 attempts documented.
In 2014, the Malaysia Airlines disappearance reignited hope, prompting another search with advanced technology, but it was not successful. A crucial turning point came with the efforts of Barbara Nikita and Kristina Nikita Coffey, relatives of a victim. They led recent searches and connected with other families impacted by the tragedy. Charles Williams, whose father was on the plane, described the power of collaboration: “Reconnecting with the group was amazing. Everyone held pieces of the puzzle. By sharing information and documents, we gained a much deeper understanding and perspective on the event, and how it affected us all.”
NTSB is currently investigating to verify the wreckage’s identity
Charles Williams praised Garry Kozak’s relentless pursuit in finding the missing plane. After the unsuccessful 2014 search, Kozak reviewed a lake sonar survey conducted by the Champlain Maritime Museum and Middlebury College. His persistence paid off when he identified four potential underwater targets. In 2022, a renewed search effort took shape when a colleague, Hans Hug, and a friend with a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) showed interest. While their initial search uncovered a military aircraft, Kozak didn’t give up. Last winter, a re-examination of the sonar data revealed another anomaly. This one, fortunately, turned out to be the long-lost plane wreckage, confirmed by the team last month.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating to verify the wreckage’s identity. Williams acknowledges that salvaging the plane would be a costly endeavor beyond the NTSB’s scope. “Whether there is tangible remains, and I hate to say it that way, and worth disturbing that’s a decision that we’ll have to figure out later and part of what we’re unpacking now,” he said. “It’s hard when you start to think about that.” Now that the plane’s location is known, the victims’ relatives plan to hold a memorial.