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Joint Task Force-Alaska Team removes debris from Colony Glacier

JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska - A team from Joint Base
Elmendorf-Richardson and Fort Wainwright has been deployed to Colony Glacier
to remove debris from a suspected 1952 crash of a U.S. Air Force C-124
Globemaster which carried 52 passengers.
The Total Force Team comprised of 10 crash recovery specialists from the 3rd
Wing; one Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician and one Mortuary Affairs
Specialist from the 673rd Air Base Wing; two Northern Warfare Training
Center specialists from Fort Wainwright; and helicopter crews from the
Alaska Army National Guard are working together to remove debris from the
glacier. This debris is commercial in nature and not needed in the
identification of any possible servicemembers who may have been on board.
The debris was discovered at approximately 1 p.m. June 10 by Alaska Army
National Guardsmen flying a UH-60 Blackhawk helicopter. The aircrew
conducted aerial surveillance of the site to ensure it was aircraft debris
before returning to Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
A specialized team from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) touched
down on the glacier Thursday, June 18, initially intending to examine the
site to provide an assessment for the follow-on recovery team. Once there,
the team determined they could manage the recovery and began immediately.
The size of the site and deteriorating environmental conditions factored
into the decision.
The team recovered material evidence, such as life support equipment from
the wreckage, and also possible osseous material from the glacier. The team
completed their investigation and recovery operation June 26 and the
collected evidence was transported to JPAC's Central Identification
Laboratory in Hawaii for further analysis.
Media interested in participating in an overfly of the site should contact
Joint Task Force-Alaska Public Affairs at (907) 552-2341 no later than 11
a.m., July 11.