By Randy Hogan:
Military reports described the weather that night as “brutal.” As the flight of the C-124 Globemaster U.S. Army airplane made its way through the snow, thick clouds and ice, the crew was literally flying blind.
Aboard the plane on this November 22, 1952 flight were 11 military crewmen, and 41 military personnel passengers, including Airman Second Class Bateman Burns of Marvell, en route to Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska. The flight originated from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Alaskan historian Doug Beckstead reported that just minutes away from their destination, the crew was using only an altimeter, a stopwatch and a radio signal to find their way home.
Suddenly, the massive C-124 Globemaster suffered some type of malfunction and began to lose altitude. This is known because according to Stars & Stripes reporters Casey Grove and Mike Dunham a nearby Northwest pilot heard a somewhat garbled radio signal on his headset that said, “As long as we have to land, we might as well land here.”
At this point the pilot reported that the plane plowed into Knik Glacier east of Anchorage at full speed. The wreckage of the plane quickly sank into the heavy blanket of snow. Small bits of debris were discovered by a squadron of searchers but they were lost to the elements within days. Reportedly, the crash caused an avalanche of snow further burying the plane and obstructing it from view from the air.
Nothing was ever heard from that plane or its crew again until 60 years had passed. The wreckage was found again in June 2012 when an Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew noticed some debris while on a training mission. Reports as to where the plane actually crashed are sketchy but the wreckage was found nearly 14 miles from the original reported crash site.
Two years later in June 2014, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who primarily search for missing military personnel overseas, found the remains of 17 members of the crew and passengers. The remains were identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
It was not until November of 2014 that Burns' remains were recovered from the wreckage. He also was returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Family members of Burns will hold homecoming celebration his honor at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 at Sunset Memorial Park near Barton. Born November 9, 1930 in Marvell, Bateman Roscoe Burns' lone surviving sibling is a sister, Christine Manning who currently resides in Hot Springs. He also has numerous living nephews, nieces and other relatives. He was the son of Fred and Effie Lee Burns. Besides Manning, he had four other brothers and sisters, Fred Horace Burns, Carolyn Rowlett, Terry Burns and Troy Hosea Burns.
Military reports described the weather that night as “brutal.” As the flight of the C-124 Globemaster U.S. Army airplane made its way through the snow, thick clouds and ice, the crew was literally flying blind.
Aboard the plane on this November 22, 1952 flight were 11 military crewmen, and 41 military personnel passengers, including Airman Second Class Bateman Burns of Marvell, en route to Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska. The flight originated from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Alaskan historian Doug Beckstead reported that just minutes away from their destination, the crew was using only an altimeter, a stopwatch and a radio signal to find their way home.
Suddenly, the massive C-124 Globemaster suffered some type of malfunction and began to lose altitude. This is known because according to Stars & Stripes reporters Casey Grove and Mike Dunham a nearby Northwest pilot heard a somewhat garbled radio signal on his headset that said, “As long as we have to land, we might as well land here.”
At this point the pilot reported that the plane plowed into Knik Glacier east of Anchorage at full speed. The wreckage of the plane quickly sank into the heavy blanket of snow. Small bits of debris were discovered by a squadron of searchers but they were lost to the elements within days. Reportedly, the crash caused an avalanche of snow further burying the plane and obstructing it from view from the air.
Nothing was ever heard from that plane or its crew again until 60 years had passed. The wreckage was found again in June 2012 when an Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew noticed some debris while on a training mission. Reports as to where the plane actually crashed are sketchy but the wreckage was found nearly 14 miles from the original reported crash site.
Two years later in June 2014, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who primarily search for missing military personnel overseas, found the remains of 17 members of the crew and passengers. The remains were identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
It was not until November of 2014 that Burns' remains were recovered from the wreckage. He also was returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Family members of Burns will hold homecoming celebration his honor at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 at Sunset Memorial Park near Barton. Born November 9, 1930 in Marvell, Bateman Roscoe Burns' lone surviving sibling is a sister, Christine Manning who currently resides in Hot Springs. He also has numerous living nephews, nieces and other relatives. He was the son of Fred and Effie Lee Burns. Besides Manning, he had four other brothers and sisters, Fred Horace Burns, Carolyn Rowlett, Terry Burns and Troy Hosea Burns.
By Randy Hogan:
Military reports described the weather that night as “brutal.” As the flight of the C-124 Globemaster U.S. Army airplane made its way through the snow, thick clouds and ice, the crew was literally flying blind.
Aboard the plane on this November 22, 1952 flight were 11 military crewmen, and 41 military personnel passengers, including Airman Second Class Bateman Burns of Marvell, en route to Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska. The flight originated from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Alaskan historian Doug Beckstead reported that just minutes away from their destination, the crew was using only an altimeter, a stopwatch and a radio signal to find their way home.
Suddenly, the massive C-124 Globemaster suffered some type of malfunction and began to lose altitude. This is known because according to Stars & Stripes reporters Casey Grove and Mike Dunham a nearby Northwest pilot heard a somewhat garbled radio signal on his headset that said, “As long as we have to land, we might as well land here.”
At this point the pilot reported that the plane plowed into Knik Glacier east of Anchorage at full speed. The wreckage of the plane quickly sank into the heavy blanket of snow. Small bits of debris were discovered by a squadron of searchers but they were lost to the elements within days. Reportedly, the crash caused an avalanche of snow further burying the plane and obstructing it from view from the air.
Nothing was ever heard from that plane or its crew again until 60 years had passed. The wreckage was found again in June 2012 when an Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew noticed some debris while on a training mission. Reports as to where the plane actually crashed are sketchy but the wreckage was found nearly 14 miles from the original reported crash site.
Two years later in June 2014, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who primarily search for missing military personnel overseas, found the remains of 17 members of the crew and passengers. The remains were identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
It was not until November of 2014 that Burns' remains were recovered from the wreckage. He also was returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Family members of Burns will hold homecoming celebration his honor at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 at Sunset Memorial Park near Barton. Born November 9, 1930 in Marvell, Bateman Roscoe Burns' lone surviving sibling is a sister, Christine Manning who currently resides in Hot Springs. He also has numerous living nephews, nieces and other relatives. He was the son of Fred and Effie Lee Burns. Besides Manning, he had four other brothers and sisters, Fred Horace Burns, Carolyn Rowlett, Terry Burns and Troy Hosea Burns.
Military reports described the weather that night as “brutal.” As the flight of the C-124 Globemaster U.S. Army airplane made its way through the snow, thick clouds and ice, the crew was literally flying blind.
Aboard the plane on this November 22, 1952 flight were 11 military crewmen, and 41 military personnel passengers, including Airman Second Class Bateman Burns of Marvell, en route to Joint Base Elemdorf-Richardson near Anchorage, Alaska. The flight originated from McChord Air Force Base, Washington. Alaskan historian Doug Beckstead reported that just minutes away from their destination, the crew was using only an altimeter, a stopwatch and a radio signal to find their way home.
Suddenly, the massive C-124 Globemaster suffered some type of malfunction and began to lose altitude. This is known because according to Stars & Stripes reporters Casey Grove and Mike Dunham a nearby Northwest pilot heard a somewhat garbled radio signal on his headset that said, “As long as we have to land, we might as well land here.”
At this point the pilot reported that the plane plowed into Knik Glacier east of Anchorage at full speed. The wreckage of the plane quickly sank into the heavy blanket of snow. Small bits of debris were discovered by a squadron of searchers but they were lost to the elements within days. Reportedly, the crash caused an avalanche of snow further burying the plane and obstructing it from view from the air.
Nothing was ever heard from that plane or its crew again until 60 years had passed. The wreckage was found again in June 2012 when an Alaska National Guard Black Hawk helicopter crew noticed some debris while on a training mission. Reports as to where the plane actually crashed are sketchy but the wreckage was found nearly 14 miles from the original reported crash site.
Two years later in June 2014, the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command, who primarily search for missing military personnel overseas, found the remains of 17 members of the crew and passengers. The remains were identified and returned to their families for burial with full military honors.
It was not until November of 2014 that Burns' remains were recovered from the wreckage. He also was returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
Family members of Burns will hold homecoming celebration his honor at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 23 at Sunset Memorial Park near Barton. Born November 9, 1930 in Marvell, Bateman Roscoe Burns' lone surviving sibling is a sister, Christine Manning who currently resides in Hot Springs. He also has numerous living nephews, nieces and other relatives. He was the son of Fred and Effie Lee Burns. Besides Manning, he had four other brothers and sisters, Fred Horace Burns, Carolyn Rowlett, Terry Burns and Troy Hosea Burns.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
