Long-lost Corporate Jet Discovered at Lake Champlain Bottom
53 years after its mysterious disappearance, a corporate jet that vanished over Vermont in 1971 has finally been located at the bottom of Lake Champlain. The small jet was carrying five passengers and crew members en route to Providence, Rhode Island, when it disappeared on a snowy January night. Despite extensive search efforts over the decades, the wreckage remained elusive until now.
Barbara Nikita, niece of one of the passengers, expressed mixed emotions upon hearing the news. “To have this found now is a peaceful feeling, but also very sad,” she remarked. “We always knew the reality, but now it’s difficult.”
The jet’s disappearance coincided with Lake Champlain freezing over just four days later, complicating search and recovery efforts. Frank Wilder, whose father was on the plane, expressed a sense of relief tempered by new uncertainties. “Spending 53 years not knowing was distressing,” he said. “Now that we know where the plane is, it opens up other questions.”
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating to confirm the identity of the jet. Family members of the victims intend to hold a memorial now that the plane’s location has been determined.