Believed To Be WWII Aviator Lost In '42 Accident

A writer searching for the engine of an AT-7 navigational plane that went down during a training mission shortly after takeoff on November 18, 1942 -- for a book he's writing on the accident -- discovered a body atop a glacier in the Sierra Nevada range... that is believed to be one of three aviators on board that flight.

This is the second set of human remains found in the area, an alpine region of Kings Canyon National Park. As ANN reported, in 2005 another set was discovered encased in ice and identified as that of Leo Mustonen, an aviation cadet.

The crew on board that ill-fated flight was Mustonen, pilot William Gamber, and aviation cadets John Mortenson and Ernest Munn. A blizzard is believed to have brought them down.

The second set of remains was as little as 50 feet from the location of the first discovery -- they will be analyzed by military anthropologists. His age and race at the time of death will be determined by examining teeth and bones, said Robert Mann, deputy scientific adviser for the Joint POW-MIA Accounting Command. DNA will be gathered and compared to samples of family members of those on board.

The body was recovered by Rangers lying on a remote rock glacier with an undeployed parachute nearby. Stenciled on the chute was "US ARMY" - until 1947, the Air Force was part of the Army.

"It looks like his head was just resting on the rock," said Debbie Brenchley, the first ranger on the scene. "You can see he has a wool sweater on, and a white collar and a ring on."

Families of the three men would be notified by military officials, said Mann.

Glacier movement and ice storms have made finding any further remains more than difficult, rangers said. Lighter than usual snowfall last year allowed some bare areas of ice. That combined with the melting snowpack revealed the body.

"We've scoured the area over the last few years," said JD Swed, chief park ranger. "We're confident that there isn't anything else to be found there -- for the moment."

FMI: www.nps.gov/seki, www.jpac.pacom.mil