On January 27, 1971, Donald Myers, a 33-year-old pilot, disappeared after the private aircraft he was co-piloting vanished over Lake Champlain. The plane, a Jet Commander, was en route from Burlington, Vermont, to Providence, Rhode Island. Myers was joined by another pilot, George Nikita, and three passengers, all consultants from a Georgia-based company. Shortly after takeoff, in the midst of severe weather conditions, the plane lost contact with the control tower and was never seen again. Despite multiple search attempts, including using sonar and divers, the wreckage was not located for many decades.
In May 2024, underwater searchers finally located the wreckage in Lake Champlain, close to where the plane was last tracked. The discovery brought some closure to the families of the missing men, although it also reopened old wounds, as the crash had remained an unresolved mystery for over 50 years. The identification of the plane was made through sonar imaging that matched the custom paintwork of the missing jet. This find has provided answers to what happened that night, but it has also prompted new questions as investigators continue to work on understanding the full details of the crash.
Last Seen: Jan 27, 1971
