B-25 Mystery Search Picks Up Again In Monongahela River

PITTSBURGH -(WPXI)- Is a B-25 bomber that crashed in the Monongahela River near Sandcastle in 1956 still there, or was it removed under darkness by the government? This week, a research group is once again trying to answer that question.

The B-25 Recovery Group has been researching the issue since 1994. This weekend, it will return to the water to search again.

At a pre-search meeting at the Sen. John Heinz History Center on Thursday, the group showed off the latest search technology."

It will be a combination of a side-scan sonar, which allows us to get a big picture of what the bottom looks like. It's like a sonogram. We will also use a sophisticated magnetometer to help us locate any metal objects," said Bob Shema, director of special projects at the Marion Hill Association.

Experts from the group said they are concentrating on locating the engine block, the landing gear, the tires and the gas tank, because they were all bulletproof.

The mystery of the B-25 wreckage has endured for more than 50 years.

The plane, with a crew of six airmen, took off from a Nevada air base on Jan. 31, 1956. After stops in Oklahoma and Michigan, the crew headed for Olmstead Air Force Base in Harrisburg.

But with the aircraft running low on fuel, pilot Maj. William Dotson decided to ditch into the river.

The crewman survived the impact, according to the survivors. Four men were rescued, but two crewmen went under. Their bodies were recovered two weeks after the crash.

News reports at the time described an extensive search for the wreckage in the weeks after the crash. The Coast Guard, the Army Corps of Engineers and other agencies dragged the river, at one point lifting a wing out of the water, only to have it slip back under.

Since then the mystery has grown, sparking theories about secret cargo, UFOs and government cover-ups.Searchers said that, even if the mystery of the past isn't solved, the new search technology used could benefit others in the future.

The search takes place on Friday and Saturday.