Divers recovered the single-engine military plane August 13 that had crashed into Minnesota’s Green Lake almost 47 years ago. The crash killed Minnesota National Guard Pilot, Captain Richard P. Carey who had moments earlier reported he was low on fuel and had hit something. Carey’s body was found two weeks after the crash, but the plane was never found.
More than 50 boats filled with spectators, including Carey’s children and local EAA chapter members, circled the recovery site Saturday for a glimpse at a piece of local history as the 1,200-pound Cessna L-19 “Bird Dog” was carefully pulled from 40-feet of water by a winch mounted to a pontoon boat. The submerged plane was situated nose-down in about two to three feet of silt.
Divers with the Kandiyohi County dive team, and Emergency Support Services Association, both of Minneapolis, conducted the operation. The entire plane, along with personal items carried by Carey including the flight log, parachutes and headphones that were in the cockpit, were recovered. The plane was pulled from the water shortly before 9 p.m.
Before retrieving the plane, divers used a video camera to record images of its cockpit dials, switches and other details in hopes of shedding light on the Oct. 14, 1958 crash. EAA Chapter 1172 has volunteered to restore the plane, which will eventually become part of a memorial describing Carey’s last journey and the airplane.
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Photo courtesy of the West Central Tribune/Ron Adams
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