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.
Social Flight Calendar