More than six decades after an Air Force plane crashed on Colony Glacier near Anchorage, Alaska, military officials have resumed the search for debris and human remains from the crash site, according to a U.S. Pacific Command release.
There were 52 military service members on board a U.S. Air Force C-124 Globemaster II when the plane crashed into Mount Gannett in 1952. All of them died in the crash, but only 37 have been identified so far, the release said.
Initially, officials thought a search mission would be impossible and the plane was soon buried underneath layers of snow and ice. The plane remained buried for about 60 years, until an Alaska National Guard crew first saw remnants of the wreckage during a training mission in 2012.
Since then, Operation Colony Glacier has been renewed each summer in an effort to identify all of the missing service members.The report says that the operation's goal is to provide closure for the families impacted by the tragedy.
"This certainly is a unique and worthwhile mission," Army Maj. Stephen Magennis, Operation Colony Glacier project officer, said in the release. "It's an honor to play a small part in recovering, identifying and returning our service members to their families."
Officials began the search on June 5 and plan to continue until June 30, or until conditions become unsafe.
