Valerie van Heest: Fatal Crossing

Kalamazoo Public Library, September 11, 2013

Valerie van Heest, director of the Michigan Shipwreck Research Associates and award-winning author, shares discoveries from Fatal Crossing, her new book about the 1950 crash of NWA flight 2501 into Lake Michigan.

The story of the country’s worst aviation disaster at the time has never been told. It became the fodder for strange tales and UFO abductions. With the release of Fatal Crossing, the whole story has emerged: As a furious squall swept down Lake Michigan on June 23, 1950, a DC-4 with 58 souls on board flew from New York toward Minnesota. Minutes after midnight Captain Robert Lind requested a lower altitude as he began crossing the lake, but Air Traffic Control could not comply. That was the last communication with Northwest Airlines Flight 2501.

The crash of Northwest Flight 2501 into Lake Michigan marked the worst American aviation accident at the time when all 58 people aboard lost their lives. The wreckage could not be found by authorities, the cause of the crash could not be determined, and the accident was soon forgotten. A half century later, a dedicated team of explorers renewed the search with the hope of finding the wreckage and solving the mystery of its loss.

Presented at Kalamazoo Public Library, Wednesday, September 11, 2013.

Recorded 09/11/2013

Categories: Authors @ KPL; Michigan History

Tags: author; education; history; michigan