Bomber Glacier (Alaska)

In November 1957, a US Air Force B29 bomber set out on a routine training mission near Anchorage, Alaska. The flight turned disastrous shortly after with a crash into a remote glacier north of Palmer, AK. Six of the ten on board were killed and the rest would have followed the same fate, except for a heroic rescue effort. The glacier came to be known as Bomber Glacier and the site can be visited via several routes including the Reed Lakes Trail.

Пікірлер: 115

  • @r.awilliams9815
    @r.awilliams9815Ай бұрын

    In 1946 a Curtis R5C transport plane carrying 32 Marines went off course in very heavy weather and flew into the side of Mount Rainier. The plane, and the Marines, are still entombed in Little Tahoma Glacier, because recovery would have placed the lives of the recovery teams are serious risk and the families of the Marines formally asked that recovery efforts be dropped.

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    Ай бұрын

    Interesting! I just spent far too long looking into more details.

  • @herbertcourtesie2459

    @herbertcourtesie2459

    25 күн бұрын

    In June 1947 while searching for the Curtiss Kenneth Arnold sighted some strange crafts over this range. The FS history started then in US. Stranger stories followed as investigators jumped in.

  • @GCL110
    @GCL110Ай бұрын

    I have to say i really enjoy your short form videos, for people that don't have time to sit through the usual 45min to an hour long videos, your uploads really hit the spot for some serious adventure without all the fluff. Cheers from Australia!

  • @JeniferTroxel

    @JeniferTroxel

    3 күн бұрын

    Totally agree.

  • @JeniferTroxel
    @JeniferTroxel3 күн бұрын

    Like the music when you are breaking down your camp.. Good video.

  • @finnberglander7816
    @finnberglander7816Ай бұрын

    A B-17 went down in Wyoming in 1943, at what has since been named Bomber Mountain. The wreckage wasn't found until some years later, when the OD paint had worn off and the reflection could be seen. Legend has it that the first guys at the sight found rock cairns built for the dead crew, and every machinegun was missing from the plane...

  • @blueman5924
    @blueman5924Ай бұрын

    My my, you certainly get to some remote and interesting destinations. Thanks for sharing the adventures. 🍁🤙

  • @Agislife1960
    @Agislife1960Ай бұрын

    I was an A&P for 20+ years I wish my health was good enough to check out old crash sites

  • @dalewilliams8001
    @dalewilliams8001Ай бұрын

    Good that there was grass and moss up there on those rocks. Much softer and warmer for locating your tent, rather than on the stone, for sure. ;)) Cool and interesting video; liked the hail also. Thanks.

  • @user-cp5vl9ot9x
    @user-cp5vl9ot9x15 күн бұрын

    Great video !..enjoy this while yer young. I'm 75 now... me and my brother wandered all over the Mojave Desert when we were much younger. Found many , many plane parts.... never took any home... probably still out there fer the adventurist ! Fun !

  • @normanmallory2055
    @normanmallory2055Ай бұрын

    Great find ! I like adventures like this ! Well done !

  • @AlessandroBottoni
    @AlessandroBottoni28 күн бұрын

    Great video, congratulations!

  • @agesadventures
    @agesadventuresАй бұрын

    Quite a good adventure up there! It's nice to see that the plane does not have graffiti on it or anything like that. Tragic story, but glad at least four made it out.

  • @bunion8579
    @bunion8579Ай бұрын

    There truly are some amazing places on Earth. You're in one.

  • @lifeofluke
    @lifeoflukeАй бұрын

    Well that was epic!

  • @randallgd
    @randallgdАй бұрын

    Looks like great adventure thanks for taking us along!

  • @fsj197811
    @fsj197811Ай бұрын

    From the thumbnail I thought this was Kee Bird. Just the same, thanks for sharing.

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    Ай бұрын

    You sent me on a wild tangent researching Kee Bird - thanks for that!

  • @fsj197811

    @fsj197811

    Ай бұрын

    @@LifeIsAdventureChannel You're welcome. Hope you found and enjoyed the documentary even though it's rather sad.

  • @DanO530.8
    @DanO530.8Ай бұрын

    Sorry for the loss of the airman

  • @tubelectron1667
    @tubelectron166720 күн бұрын

    Amazing ! *****

  • @michaelsteiger8509
    @michaelsteiger8509Ай бұрын

    Great try everyone. It clearly is a b-29. The give away is the nacelle. The aft facing scoop on top was on the 29 and the PBY did not have that. The square inspection hole at the 3 and 9 o’clock position is on a b29 and different shaped in the PBY. The exhaust ended pn a PBY on the top in line with the leading edge . The taper of the metal aft of the nacelle would be strait on a PBY. Cheers

  • @adrianw7011

    @adrianw7011

    Ай бұрын

    Wrong wing shape for a B29 and they aren't wright cyclone engine cowlings. The fueslage isn't B29, the shape is wrong. The engines on the B29 are staggered with the outer one being slightly behind the inboard, these are parrallel and too small for the cyclone engine cowlings.

  • @bunion8579

    @bunion8579

    Ай бұрын

    @@adrianw7011 Boeing TB-29 44-70039 on a radar-calibration flight out of Elmendorf Nov 15 1957.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    @@adrianw7011*_PBY or B29?_* There's been lively speculation, debate and argument on the identification (thankfully all civil and polite). I offer this thought: At 3:50 there is a very good high resolution shot of the area in question. I think we can all agree that whatever's going on a few feet right of the right most engine is buried in snow and ice, but the engines themselves and the wing from the snow and ice left to the wingtip is clear and unblemished. If this is a PBY, where then are the fuel fillers and vent tubes? Those are ubiquitous, plain and obvious on every PBY; this area shows no damage, & no fuel filler caps or vent tubes… so where are they? The logical answer with evidence fitting the conclusion is that this is not a PBY. What, then, is it? The Air Force, NTSB and FAA are all minded that it's a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress, & we have no evidence to the contrary.

  • @chipps1066
    @chipps1066Ай бұрын

    Do you use a drone to get your shots?That's a lot of work for those beautiful shots.

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    Ай бұрын

    For a 12 hour hike, getting a few mins of video here and there isn't much effort.

  • @Handcarvedbyrandy
    @Handcarvedbyrandy12 күн бұрын

    From the tracks visible it looks like the area gets a fair amount of foot and ski traffic.

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    10 күн бұрын

    There's a hut-to-hut ski traverse / mountaineering route in the area.

  • @michaelschubel6330
    @michaelschubel633018 күн бұрын

    How do you get those long shots? Is there a second hiker with a drone?

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    17 күн бұрын

    Just me!

  • @ralphwillian1758
    @ralphwillian175822 күн бұрын

    Your images are very beautiful. Friend, which camera model on the drone did you use?

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    21 күн бұрын

    I was using a a DJI mini pro 4. It's sadly resting at the bottom of a lake now 😭

  • @ralphwillian1758

    @ralphwillian1758

    7 күн бұрын

    @@LifeIsAdventureChannel What a shame! Thank you, you'll have another one soon. God bless you, my friend!

  • @daviddarrall9384
    @daviddarrall9384Ай бұрын

    Well done 😊 UK

  • @tyronebiggims1613
    @tyronebiggims161314 күн бұрын

    My uncle worked on that plane and saw it burn to the ice..

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    14 күн бұрын

    Incredible!

  • @mtacoustic1
    @mtacoustic1Ай бұрын

    Eating a little crow here... One comment observed how one engine nacelle fairing is longer than the other; typical of a four-engine aircraft. Sure enough, the nacelles match the photos of a B-29 on wikipedia. I would like to see photos of this wreck more exposed with less snow and confirm it's identity. Some data plate info would be excellent.

  • @ikefrye847

    @ikefrye847

    Ай бұрын

    Takes strength and courage, valor and honor to succinctly state something like that. Bravo Zulu sir.

  • @HM2SGT
    @HM2SGTАй бұрын

    *_PBY or B29?_* There's been lively speculation, debate and argument on the identification (thankfully all civil and polite). I offer this thought: At 4:25 there is a very good high resolution shot of the area in question, and even better one at 3:50. I think we can all agree that whatever's going on a few feet right of the right most engine is buried in snow and ice, but the engines themselves and the wing from the snow and ice left to the wingtip is clear and unblemished. If this is a PBY, where then are the fuel fillers and vent tubes? Those are ubiquitous, plain and obvious on every PBY; this area shows no damage, & no fuel filler caps or vent tubes… so where are they? The logical answer with evidence fitting the conclusion is that this is not a PBY. What, then, is it? The Air Force, NTSB and FAA are all minded that it's a Boeing B-29 Super Fortress, & we have no evidence to the contrary.

  • @nayumicraig5248
    @nayumicraig5248Ай бұрын

    Are you sure? Looks more like a Canso (PBY Catalina). Maybe there is more than one wreck on the glacier. Lorne.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    At 3:50 there is a very good high resolution shot of the area in question. The area is undamaged, clear and unblemished. If this is a PBY, where then are the fuel fillers and vent tubes?

  • @misterx8592
    @misterx8592Ай бұрын

    Where are the Sasquatches?

  • @jackkoveleskie2504
    @jackkoveleskie250426 күн бұрын

    My Wife's Uncle was a pilot on that aircraft.

  • @ugrinivan1148
    @ugrinivan114810 күн бұрын

    Земл все выплюнет через время.. так есть и так будет! Это не приживется никогда...❤1

  • @bryandale7125
    @bryandale7125Ай бұрын

    While living near Palmer, I visited this crash site several times in the summer, when you can see a whole lot more of the plane.

  • @HootOwl513
    @HootOwl513Ай бұрын

    -That's not a B-29. [--4:25--]This wreck has twin engines. Superfort's had four. This looks like a PBY Catalina flying boat- [EDIT: Never Mind. It is a Boeing Superfort afterall...]

  • @buzztp5119

    @buzztp5119

    Ай бұрын

    I agree with you that's a Catalina

  • @costello521

    @costello521

    Ай бұрын

    I'd say it's a B-29. The wing that you can see I think is the planes port (left) wing due to the position of the star. The Star's on all USAAF and USAF four engined bombers where located to the left and right of the number one and four engines. The PBY Catalina's also had smaller radial engines compared to the ones used on the B-29. Another indication is at 3:42, the round opening is where one of the gunner sighting blisters is located for the upper aft turret.

  • @mypl510

    @mypl510

    Ай бұрын

    It's a B-29, it has rounded wing tips with no floats like a Cat would. Also, this is just one wing, hence only two engines.

  • @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    @LifeIsAdventureChannel

    Ай бұрын

    Crash report says Boeing B-29 Superfortresses

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    🤔😒🙂‍↔️ Not a PBY... the fuselage isn't nearly flattened enough. 3:42 gives us a good look at one of the observation blisters abaft the wing root. Also, if it was a tugboat with wings there should be evidence of the pylon connecting the wing to the hull between those two motors.

  • @YYX-u7g
    @YYX-u7g5 күн бұрын

    О, сколько алюминия!

  • @briansilcox5720
    @briansilcox5720Ай бұрын

    Definitely Consolidated PBY Catalina.

  • @andrewmacdonald4833

    @andrewmacdonald4833

    Ай бұрын

    Nope...it's a B29...well covered.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    @@andrewmacdonald4833 Indeed. Round observation blisters, no pylon, no fabric on the wings...

  • @bunkerrocketworks3190

    @bunkerrocketworks3190

    Ай бұрын

    Yup agreed - definitely PBY without the blisters. The B29 has mid mount wing with 4 engines and much larger wingspan. 👍

  • @bunkerrocketworks3190

    @bunkerrocketworks3190

    Ай бұрын

    @@andrewmacdonald4833The B29 has 4 engines and longer mid fuselage mounted wings. Plane geeks like me and others can see the PBY anatomy despite the snow cover. 👍 What bit of the plane reminds you of the B29?

  • @bunkerrocketworks3190

    @bunkerrocketworks3190

    Ай бұрын

    Actually - I changed my mind - I googled it and the two engines you can see are just one wing - because of the crash position the wing is laying over the fuselage making it look like a PBY twin - sorry honest mistake 🤣

  • @madmanmechanic8847
    @madmanmechanic8847Ай бұрын

    They need to go up and retrieve that plane there would be zero rust on that plane with the cold and snow to protect it the parts alone are worth millions . The engines could be salvaged and parts for other 29s out there such a shame to let it rot

  • @markschneider8815
    @markschneider881510 күн бұрын

    A lot of wasted time watching this guy hiking.😢

  • @mtacoustic1
    @mtacoustic1Ай бұрын

    This is definitely a WWII Consolidated PBY; not a B-29!

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    🤔😒🙂‍↔️ Not a PBY... the fuselage isn't nearly flattened enough. 3:42 gives us a good look at one of the observation blisters abaft the wing root. Also, if it was a tugboat with wings there should be evidence of the pylon connecting the wing to the hull between those two motors.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    🤔😒🙂‍↔️ Not a PBY... the fuselage isn't nearly flattened enough. 3:42 gives us a good look at one of the observation blisters abaft the wing root. Also, if it was a tugboat with wings there should be evidence of the pylon connecting the wing to the hull between those two motors.

  • @mtacoustic1

    @mtacoustic1

    Ай бұрын

    @@HM2SGT Nope, you are in error. Definitely a PBY Catalina. The long wings with fabric covering on the outer panels is a dead giveaway, and the observation/gun blisters are right for a PBY. The pylon has collapsed along with much of the fuselage from the crash and ice action. Everything matches a derelict PBY that was parked at a local airport for many years.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    @@mtacoustic1 Perhaps you should look closer; 3:40, 3:55 all metal. Not a bit of fabric, never was.

  • @dominictroupin2211

    @dominictroupin2211

    Ай бұрын

    Left wing of a B-29

  • @Pilotc180
    @Pilotc180Ай бұрын

    That’s no B29; it’s a PBY Catalina

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    Round observation blisters, no pylon, all metal construction, no paint... *_NOT_* a tug boat with wings

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    How strange that people keep misidentifying an aircraft with no paint, no fabric, no pylon and round observation blisters as a PBY

  • @lowbudgetbob1155
    @lowbudgetbob1155Ай бұрын

    That's not a B-29, It's a PBY Catalina. B-29's were a 4 engine bomber, that clearly is a twin engine airplane. Get your facts straight....

  • @ikefrye847

    @ikefrye847

    Ай бұрын

    Bob can't tell the difference between circular observation blisters of a b29 and teardrops of a pby on the left side of the fuselage that is to the right of a wing with two engine nacelles of the B-29 type as can be identified by flaps and vents

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    At 4:25 there is a very good high resolution shot of the area in question. I think we can all agree that whatever's going on a few feet right right most engine is buried in snow and ice, but the engines themselves and the wing from the snow and ice left to the wingtip is clear and unblemished. If this is a PBY, where then are the fuel fillers and vent tubes? Those are ubiquitous, plain and obvious on every PBY; this area shows no damage, & no fuel filler caps or vent tubes… so where are they?

  • @Blitzkriegssii

    @Blitzkriegssii

    23 күн бұрын

    Its a B 29 I have been there a few times. I have a picture siting in the tail gunners seat.

  • @johnball4826
    @johnball4826Ай бұрын

    How can you be so wrong about identifying the aircraft ! Did you not do your research before hand ? So obvious a PBY - two engines, high wing. Dumb !!

  • @ikefrye847

    @ikefrye847

    Ай бұрын

    Didn't somebody once say it's better to be silent and be thought of fool than to type furiously and remove all doubt? The FAA, the NTSB, the Air Force are all convinced it's a B29. Most of the commenters can clearly see it it's a B-29 and at least one person who argued that it was a PBY as retracted their statement. One would think that someone who read the comments would Get a clue and refrain from removing all doubt... 🙄🤦🤷

  • @johnball4826

    @johnball4826

    Ай бұрын

    @@ikefrye847 Yes, I apologise for being so rude to the original Poster of this story. I am truly sorry for what I said. I should have looked at it several times and analysed the pictures.

  • @HM2SGT

    @HM2SGT

    Ай бұрын

    @@johnball4826 Hey, we're all human… Who hasn't stepped on their own dick from time to time? 😅 It takes an especially strong, confident, mature individual to admit when maybe things could've gone better and then to do better. Bravo Zulu sir. 👍

  • @angelicchandler8275
    @angelicchandler82752 күн бұрын

    That plane is a PBY, Not a B29.