• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
General Aviation News

General Aviation News

Because flying is cool

  • Pictures of the Day
    • Submit Picture of the Day
  • Stories
    • News
    • Features
    • Opinion
    • Products
    • NTSB Accidents
    • ASRS Reports
  • Comments
  • Classifieds
    • Place Classified Ad
  • Events
  • Digital Archives
  • Subscribe
  • Show Search
Hide Search

ID still unknown on airman found in Sierra Nevada mountains

By General Aviation News Staff · November 4, 2005 ·

Military forensic experts are studying human remains found on a glacier in the Sierra Nevada mountains in an effort to determine the man’s identity. It is believed the body is that of a World War II airman killed during a training flight in November 1942.

Late last month hikers spotted the remains of an Army parachute protruding from ice at the 13,710-foot level of Mount Mendel. The airman was lying face down, still strapped into the harness.

Park rangers removed the frozen remains, along with a large portion of the glacier, to keep the body intact as it was transported off the mountain.

During World War II there were many crashes in the mountains where victims were not recovered. As soon as news about the discovery was made public, the park service received several phone calls from relatives of men who were killed in airplane crashes and listed as missing, presumed dead, by the military.

Share this story

  • Share on Twitter Share on Twitter
  • Share on Facebook Share on Facebook
  • Share on LinkedIn Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Reddit Share on Reddit
  • Share via Email Share via Email

Become better informed pilot.

Join 110,000 readers each month and get the latest news and entertainment from the world of general aviation direct to your inbox, daily.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Curious to know what fellow pilots think on random stories on the General Aviation News website? Click on our Recent Comments page to find out. Read our Comment Policy here.

© 2025 Flyer Media, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy.

  • About
  • Advertise
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Writer’s Guidelines
  • Photographer’s Guidelines