WW-II US warplane wreckage, remains of crew members recovered

An army patrol has found skeletal remains of crew members from the wreckage of a World War-II US warplane that had crashed in the Lulam Gika hills in East Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh.

Villagers of Keshe Bagang had informed the Army earlier this month about the wreckage and the higher authorities were informed who gave permission to locate it, army sources said today.

The patrol trekked a distance of about 70-80 kilometres for four days through rough terrain and dense jungles infested with poisonous snakes and wild animals amidst inclement weather, they added.

The team located the wreckage of a scout Black Hawk aircraft near Kesse Bagang village and found skeletal remains of fingers which were given a burial, they said.
The patrol brought back with them a plate of the fuselage bearing the inscription 'S-T95T6 BLACK HAWK 7.26.1943 SPMCO' when they returned on March 23, the sources said.

The patrol went on the mission "to give a respectable burial to the remains of the plane's crew members, as per the Army's high tradition," the sources said.
A school teacher of the village, Tani Bagang of Tessi Bagang, had found the wreckage earlier in 2010.

Bagang had also found parts of a human skeleton and a metal plate with 'Black Hawk' inscribed on it. The skeleton was later buried by the villagers.