Searsburg, VT. – August 17, 1974

Searsburg, Vermont – August 17, 1974

     On August 17, 1974, a Beachcraft 35-A33 airplane, (#N385Z), left Lawrence, Massachusetts, bound for Cambridge, New York, and then on to Michigan.  There were four people aboard, a husband, wife, and their two teenaged children, 14, and 16.  The family was from Denison, Iowa. 

     In the vicinity of the New York border the husband, who was piloting the aircraft, reported they had encountered severe thunderstorms.  When no further communication was heard the plane was declared missing and a search was begun.   The search area included western Massachusetts, southern Vermont, and a portion of New York.  Despite all efforts, nothing was found.

     The plane was found by accident on May 24, 1976, on Searsburg Mountain located in the tiny southern Vermont town of Searsburg.      

     Sources:

     Providence Journal, “All Search resumes For Lost Plane”, August 26, 1974, page B-5  

     Ames Daily Tribune, (Iowa), “Denison Man, Plane Disappear”, August 21, 1974, page 11.  (Courtesy of Ames Public Library.)

     Ames Daily Tribune, (Iowa), “No trace Of Iowa Family, Lost Plane”, August 23, 1974, page 7.  (Courtesy of Ames Public Library.)

     Providence Evening Bulletin, “Plane Found After 2 years With Family Of Four In Vt.”, May 26, 1976, page B-1

     Article, “History of Vermont Plane Crashes”, by Brian Linder, Burlington Free Press, November 20, 2014. 

     Aviation Safety Network

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