KLAS-TV Channel 8 News Las VegasB-29 Found 54 Years After Crashing Into Lake Mead

B-29 Found 54 Years After Crashing Into Lake Mead

(Aug. 9) -- A 54-year-old mystery was officially solved Friday when evidence was made public about the fate of a B-29 bomber that crashed into Lake Mead in 1948.

As the Channel 8 I-Team was first to report, a local diving team found the big bomber last summer sitting in deep water on the bottom of the lake, but the news was kept quiet until now.

In July 1948, a B-29 superfortress on a classified mission had to ditch in Lake Mead. Its five-man crew floated for six hours before being rescued. Their confusion about just where the bomber had sunk was vital to the growth of the legend.

In the ensuing years, the B-29 has been like a holy grail to aviation buffs and local divers. Numerous attempts have been made to find it in various parts of the lake, using everything from guesstimates to robots. But the lake wouldn't give up its prize -- until now.

At a city hall news conference, the team that found the bomber last summer told how it was done and why it's been kept secret. To prove it's the real deal, they provided underwater video showing the big bomber remarkably intact, some 300 feet below the surface.

Gregg Mikosalek of In Depth Consulting found it using something called side-scan sonar.

"The B-29 bomber lost in Lake Mead in 1948 has, without a doubt, positively, absolutely been found," Mikosalek said.

Dive instructor Melody Gritz had her own abiding interest in the B-29 and had been looking for it with her father, war hero James Bo Gritz. The various parties formed a team, obtained specialized equipment, underwent rigorous training, and then dove on the site several times to document what they had. Some details are still being withheld.

Mikolasek said, "Obvious questions: 'Where is it?' 'How deep?' We won't disclose that to you."

The team didn't even tell the National Park Service about its find until a week ago. They're keeping a lid on the location in hopes that other divers won't descend on the location.

"We don't want this thing stripped. We don't want anyone hurt on it. We do want to work with the Park Service to preserve and document it properly," Melody Gritz said.

The Park Service is thrilled with the find but unsure what will become of the plane: leave it where it is, or bring it to the surface. A team of specialists is coming this fall to assess the situation.

"There are a variety of ways it could be handled. Don't know where we'll go until we get the crew out here," said Karla Norris of the National Park Service.

The team which found the B-29 hopes to be part of any future plans, but members feel very strongly that the legendary plane -- a mystery for so long -- should stay right where it is.

There's a chance the story of the missing B-29 could be turned into a television documentary. In the meantime, anyone interested in seeing more images of the bomber on the bottom can check out the website of In Depth Consulting .

To contact George Knapp, click here.