The California drought may have solved the mystery of the 1960s

During the testing of new equipment, two researchers from Seaflor Systems, an American hydrographic analysis company They identified The wreckage of a small tourist plane at the bottom of Folsom Lake near Sacramento, California. The Piper Comanche 250, which crashed on January 1, 1965, is believed to be the wreckage, the remains of which have not yet been found. According to researchers and local officials, the discovery was made possible by the lake ‘s exceptionally low water levels, which have drained like many reservoirs in the state due to the severe drought of recent months.

Local newspaper in 1965 Roseville Press Tribune Piper wrote that another small cruise plane – the Beachcraft Craft Depot – crashed at an altitude of about 800 meters and then crashed. All four people on board were killed in the crash: the pilot’s body was recovered, but the bodies of the other three passengers were not even decomposed, although searches continued until 2014.

Tyler Atkinson, one of Seafloor Systems researchers He said On San Francisco TV KGO-TV During the operation, a few weeks ago, he noticed something “unusual” with a sonar at the bottom of the lake. So, Atkinson and other operators came back a few days later with a small radio control vehicle that approached an as yet unidentified object, which was about 50 meters deep, but the water was very cloudy anyway. Was able to understand what. It was.

The researchers returned to the site for the third time with other tools, realizing that it was a plane, making it possible to obtain detailed images of the object: the team could not distinguish the serial number or look inside. The fuse, engine, propulsion and right wing were clearly visible.

The mystery of the 56-year-old Northern California plane crash may finally be solved at Bolsom Lake https://t.co/JyR31rLLdX

– ABC7 News (abc7newsbayarea) June 14, 2021

Katherine Radigan, wife of the brother of one of the victims of the 1965 crash He said ABC News The plane was at one point on the lake, before the dam of the same name (1955) was built before the American River flowed along the border between Blazer County and El Dorado. It is now up to the local authorities to decide when, how and when the rubble can be recovered.

– read more: The unresolved case of the Somerton man

Both researchers and state officials say they were able to find the plane thanks to a period of severe drought that brought the lake’s water level down significantly and brought out parts of the land that were normally submerged.

In California, drought is a major problem that is widespread and very serious Fire Every year hundreds of thousands of hectares of land are destroyed, with dozens of deaths and disappearances. Among other things, it is necessary to irrigate the fields of reservoirs such as Lake Folsom and to generate electricity.

According to data from the California Department of Water Resources, Lake Folsom currently holds 37 percent of its capacity, viz. At their lowest level since 1977. The reasons are particularly dry winters and lack of rainfall, but higher than average temperatures and higher water returns in recent months. It is estimated that in the first 155 days of 2021 more than a third of the water was withdrawn from the lake than in the same period of 2014, while at the same time a sixth less water flowed into the basin than during the same period. The same year., When the lowest levels were recorded since the 1990s.

As of June 4, California’s 11 largest reservoirs accounted for 51 percent of their capacity, up from 2014.

The drought situation across California is so severe that Governor Gavin Newsom was just before May 10th Extended the state of emergency To 41 of the 58 districts of the state, including the three districts around Folsom Lake. At the same time, the snow in the Sierra Nevada mountains is melting faster than usual, as temperatures are higher than average. However, this does not contribute to the health of the reservoirs. Explained SF Gate Sean de Guzman, head of the California Department of Water Resources, which monitors ice levels and water supply forecasts because ice melts don’t have time to pour into reservoirs, but are absorbed into the ground before you get there.