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INVESTIGATIVE TEAM LEAVES FOR PAPUA NEW GUINEA
RELEASE NO. #06-26 July 6, 2006
HICKAM AFB, HAWAI An investigative team from JPAC left for Papua New Guinea July 4 for a 30-day mission to search for American military missing from World War II.
During the deployment, the 10-person investigation team will interview witnesses, search for aircraft crash sites, photograph discovered site locations, gather material evidence, and correlate crash sites to missing aircraft incident reports.
JPAC team members are investigating three aircraft crash sites involving a total of 14 missing people.
One missing flight crew disappeared after a crash in the winter of 1944. The aircraft was reportedly hit by phosphorus bombs, leaving two service members unaccounted-for.
Another pilot was heading up a strike operation when he disappeared. The pilot was reported missing in action Feb. 11, 1944 and presumed dead Jan. 17, 1946.
The third case involves the loss of a bomber crew in the winter of 1943 during a mission southeast of Vunakanau.
Information gathered during the investigation will be used to plan future excavations.
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