Downed Aircraft from 1981
Monday, 30th July 2007 by James Turnbull
Back on May 1st 1981 a de Havilland Dove twin-engine aircraft was leaving Sebring, Florida for Miami and suffered an engine failure.
The pilot was forced to crash land in a nearby field and the aircraft ended up in the shallows of lake Istakpoga. Luckily all the crew walked away unscathed.
What's surprising about this story is that, 26 years later, the plane is still there. Presumably recovery from the lake was too expensive for the owner so it has been left for the fishes.
You can see a closer aerial shot of the plane (complete with graffiti) on Air Britain.
Previously on Google Sightseeing: Mystery Plane Crash and Addis Ababa-Bole Airport Crash (recently updated).
Thanks: JesterDan001
What you fail to mention is that flight was ‘allegedly’ on a drug run. Perhaps the intrepid grafittists were looking for any booty left behind.
Probably a little soggy by now
Actually, The plane was starting on a drug run. The reason it was at sebring airport was that it was being fitted with extended range fuel tanks. My father owned the maintenance shop that did the work which also specialized in the de havilland aircraft. The cause of the engine failure was that the pilot, new to the aircraft, and in a hurry, declined the check out flight, and took off on his own. After take off, instead of switching fuel tanks, the pilot shut off the fuel supply. You know the rest of the story.