Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

As a furious squall swept down Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with 58 souls on board flew from New York toward Minnesota. Minutes after midnight Captain Robert Lind requested a lower altitude as he began crossing the lake, but Air Traffic Control could not comply. That was the last communication with Northwest Airlines Flight 2501.
Shredded human remains washing up on the beaches of West Michigan served as evidence of the country’s worst commercial aviation disaster. The Navy and Coast Guard never located the wreck, rendering it impossible to determine a cause for this tragic accident.
Over a half century later, nationally acclaimed author and explorer Clive Cussler of the National Underwater Marine Agency teamed up with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association to pick up the search where the government left off and attempt to solve the mystery of the plane’s disappearance.
This gripping and suspenseful narrative begins as the team sets out upon its quest, an expedition fraught with disappointments and surprising discoveries as the explorers plow through archives and scour the lake bottom. An unexpected meeting with a victim's son prompts a search of a different kind, one that would be more illuminating than submerged sections of twisted aluminum. Weaving past and present together through meticulous research and heart-rending interviews, V. O. van Heest paints a captivating portrait of the victims, vividly recreates the last few hours of Flight 2501, and reveals that the answers are sometimes found in unexpected places.

1115570043
Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

As a furious squall swept down Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with 58 souls on board flew from New York toward Minnesota. Minutes after midnight Captain Robert Lind requested a lower altitude as he began crossing the lake, but Air Traffic Control could not comply. That was the last communication with Northwest Airlines Flight 2501.
Shredded human remains washing up on the beaches of West Michigan served as evidence of the country’s worst commercial aviation disaster. The Navy and Coast Guard never located the wreck, rendering it impossible to determine a cause for this tragic accident.
Over a half century later, nationally acclaimed author and explorer Clive Cussler of the National Underwater Marine Agency teamed up with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association to pick up the search where the government left off and attempt to solve the mystery of the plane’s disappearance.
This gripping and suspenseful narrative begins as the team sets out upon its quest, an expedition fraught with disappointments and surprising discoveries as the explorers plow through archives and scour the lake bottom. An unexpected meeting with a victim's son prompts a search of a different kind, one that would be more illuminating than submerged sections of twisted aluminum. Weaving past and present together through meticulous research and heart-rending interviews, V. O. van Heest paints a captivating portrait of the victims, vividly recreates the last few hours of Flight 2501, and reveals that the answers are sometimes found in unexpected places.

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Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

by V. O. van Heest
Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

by V. O. van Heest

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Overview

As a furious squall swept down Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with 58 souls on board flew from New York toward Minnesota. Minutes after midnight Captain Robert Lind requested a lower altitude as he began crossing the lake, but Air Traffic Control could not comply. That was the last communication with Northwest Airlines Flight 2501.
Shredded human remains washing up on the beaches of West Michigan served as evidence of the country’s worst commercial aviation disaster. The Navy and Coast Guard never located the wreck, rendering it impossible to determine a cause for this tragic accident.
Over a half century later, nationally acclaimed author and explorer Clive Cussler of the National Underwater Marine Agency teamed up with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association to pick up the search where the government left off and attempt to solve the mystery of the plane’s disappearance.
This gripping and suspenseful narrative begins as the team sets out upon its quest, an expedition fraught with disappointments and surprising discoveries as the explorers plow through archives and scour the lake bottom. An unexpected meeting with a victim's son prompts a search of a different kind, one that would be more illuminating than submerged sections of twisted aluminum. Weaving past and present together through meticulous research and heart-rending interviews, V. O. van Heest paints a captivating portrait of the victims, vividly recreates the last few hours of Flight 2501, and reveals that the answers are sometimes found in unexpected places.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780988977211
Publisher: In-Depth Editions, LLC
Publication date: 06/01/2013
Pages: 368
Sales rank: 58,395
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Principal in Lafferty van Heest and Associates Exhibit Design Firm, Director of Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and a member of the Women Divers Hall of Fame, Valerie van Heest has explored, documented and interpreted shipwrecks for over twenty years. She is a recipient of multiple awards from the Historical Society of Michigan for the collection, preservation and promotion of state and local history through her interpretation, writing, filmmaking and exhibit work. She has written several books, magazine/journal articles and more than a dozen documentary films.. Her work has been featured in numerous books and articles as well. Valerie is a regular presenter at museums, libraries, and film festivals, sharing the dramatic stories of ships gone missing on the Great Lakes and has appeared on television news networks as well as on the Discovery Channel. Valerie spearheads MSRA’s search for ships lost off western Michigan, which has resulted in the discovery of many new shipwrecks.

Table of Contents

Foreword 12

Prologue 14

Part I The Search Begins

Chapter 1 An Intriguing Mystery 18

Chapter 2 Enter Clive Cussler 38

Chapter 3 Let the Searching Begin 44

Chapter 4 If at First You Don't Succeed 54

Chapter 5 A New Approach 64

Part II The Flight

Chapter 6 The Flight Crew 86

Chapter 7 Pre-Flight Planning 99

Chapter 8 Boarding and Takeoff 113

Chapter 9 En Route 127

Chapter 10 Toward Destiny 147

Part III The Search Continues

Chapter 11 Try Try Again 178

Chapter 12 Quitting is Not an Option 187

Chapter 13 Disappointment & Devastation 196

Part IV The Aftermath

Chapter 14 The Plane is Missing 208

Chapter 15 The Unimaginable 219

Chapter 16 Search and Recovery 232

Chapter 17 Gruesome Evidence 249

Chapter 18 Placing Blame 261

Part V The Search Gets Frustrating

Chapter 19 A Promising Target 294

Chapter 20 Revelation 308

Chapter 21 Probable Cause 316

Epilogue 339

Appendix 346

Notes and Acknowledgments 355

Bibliography 362

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