The wreckage of a private jet lost over five decades ago has been discovered in Vermont’s Lake Champlain.
Fifty-three years after a private plane vanished on a snowy night in Vermont, experts believe they have discovered its wreckage submerged in Lake Champlain. The jet, a 10-seat Jet Commander, disappeared on January 27, 1971, shortly after taking off from Burlington airport. Aboard were two crew members and three employees from the Georgia-based development company, Cousins Properties.
The flight was en route to Providence, Rhode Island, but disappeared in a snowstorm. Initial searches for the wreckage were unsuccessful, and the lake froze over just days after the plane went missing. Despite numerous search attempts over the years, the wreckage remained elusive until recently.
In May 2024, underwater searcher Garry Kozak and his team, using a remotely operated vehicle, found the wreckage in 200 feet of water near Juniper Island. Sonar images revealed the plane’s custom paint scheme, confirming its identity. Kozak, who led the search, expressed confidence in the discovery, stating that all the evidence pointed to the wreckage being that of the missing plane.
The plane’s disappearance had puzzled authorities for decades, and the discovery marks a significant moment in resolving the mystery. The wreckage was found close to the last known location of the plane, as tracked by the radio control tower before it vanished from radar.
The identification of the wreckage provides answers for the families of those aboard and closes a chapter on a long-unsolved aviation mystery. While the plane’s discovery is a breakthrough, further investigations will be needed to determine the exact cause of the crash.
The recovery of the jet brings a sense of closure to a tragedy that has lingered for over half a century. Experts are continuing their analysis of the wreckage to gather more details and piece together the events leading to the plane’s disappearance.