Most of us know that there has been a B-29 aircraft resting on the bottom of Lake Mead since it crash-landed there on July 21st, 1948. But I found a great video from the National Park Service that explains how it crashed and also shows footage of what it looks like down there.
It’s only 8.5 minutes – but if you are short on time and skip to 1 minute & 30 seconds, that’s the explanation (with a visual simulation) that the B-29 was on a scientific mission doing atmospheric testing … first over the Grand Canyon and then over Lake Mead.
But during their pass over Lake Mead to collect low atmospheric data, the pilot misjudged his elevation and accidentally hit the lake, bounced about a 1/4 mile and then “settled in’, as they say in the video.
The underwater tour begins at 3 minutes and 25 seconds with an explanation of which parts of the plane broke off during impact and then video of the ropes and guides to get divers down to the wreckage. Super interesting stuff … worth a few minutes to watch, for sure!
