When Winter Survival Skills and a Little Bit of Luck Overpowered Mountain Wave Turbulence, Severe Icing and a Winter Storm
Radar Contact Lost: The PodcastShow Notes
Send us Fan Mail On Tuesday morning, December 5, 1978, 22 people were rescued off the side of a high Colorado mountain in the southern regions of the Rocky Mountains. They had survived the frigid night at an altitude above 10,000 feet (over 3,000 meters). This was in the midst of a snowstorm, with temperatures well below freezing and winds howling above 30 miles per hour (that’s nearly 50 kilometers per hour). There was only minimal shelter. Some reports estimated the snow to be 8 feet deep a...
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Send us Fan Mail In this episode, we’ll examine the crash and death of naval fighter pilot, civilian test pilot and recreational pilot Scott Crossfield – we’ll talk about who he was, what he did and how he died. On the one hand, this was a surprising crash by a pilot who flew into a thunderstorm. You’re not supposed to do that. On the other hand, this was a crash by one of the most experienced and technologically advanced pilots of the 20th century. Books have been written about the acc...
Send us Fan Mail On a pleasant Monday morning in June, 1963, a Douglas DC-7C departed from McCord Air Force Base in Washington state. The plane was loaded with military members of the United States Armed Forces. The destination was Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. The airliner never reached its destination. What exactly happened to this airliner remains a mystery. However, several theories hold some elements of reality. Though, like many fantastic or tragic stories with too few answers, th...
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Send us Fan Mail It was Saturday morning, February 20, 1943. The morning fog lay thick over the prairie of northern Texas and the rolling hills of southeastern Oklahoma, clinging to the fields and tree lines like a wet gray blanket. The sun had not yet burned through the mist, and visibility in a few places was little more than a few hundred feet. At this time of year, locals in the area—farmers, mostly—were used to crisp, clear mornings or the bluster of a winter wind. But this morning was d...