Awesome - Hikers Make A Discovery In The Mountains That Forces The Government To Act
Investigators have long been stumped by the downfall of one flight that crashed mysteriously, and seemingly without cause. That flight was Eastern Airlines Flight 980. While crossing over a mountainous region on the border of Bolivia and Paraguay, the plane ran into mysterious problems that, decades later, authorities are just beginning to understand.
Setting Out
As Dan Futrell and Isaac Stoner packed their bags for what would be a trying and potentially deadly expedition, they tried to maintain their calm. If everything went according to plan, they would uncover the truth behind a disaster that had claimed many lives. Sure enough, they didn't return empty-handed.
A New Year's Flight
Both men knew the story by heart. The 29 people on board Eastern Airlines Flight 980 on New Year's Day, 1985, were all prepared to have a safe and timely flight out of Paraguay. The pilot and crew had done this plenty of times — everything should've gone smoothly.
Miami Bound
They were leaving from the gorgeous city of Asunción and heading to bustling Miami, Florida, but they were going to make a few stops before they reached their final destination.
A Seasoned Crew
The captain's name was Larry Campbell, and he was joined by a trusted crew consisting of his copilot, flight engineer, and a team of Chilean flight attendants who were prepared for any sort of trouble. Or, so they thought.
Fuel Stop
An airport in La Paz, Bolivia, was the first of two stops before reaching Asunción. The captain radioed to the control tower to let them know they were arriving to refuel. At the time, everything on board was fine.
High Landing
The flight attendants were serving the final round of drinks before the plane reached the tarmac. As the highest international airport in the world, the mountains surrounding La Paz were covered with snow and ice. Ten minutes before they touched down, disaster struck.
Mountain Collision
Without warning, the plane careened directly into the side of Mount Illimani, the second highest mountain in Bolivia, striking jagged rocks and sharp ice before exploding. There were no survivors. The Air Force immediately sent troops to scan the area.
A Difficult Search
Even with the specialized training the troops had, many of them suffered awful altitude sickness. Visibility was almost nothing, and after a few days of searching, the whole thing was called off. Still, they knew the answers were out there.
No Black Box
The black box recording device that all planes are equipped with could've given investigators answers. Over the years that followed, small pieces of debris — although never the black box — were found scattered around the mountain. But, something astounding happened in 2016.
Independent Adventurers
Two hikers from Boston, Dan Futrell and Isaac Stoner, were reading a Wikipedia page dedicated to unrecovered black boxes. When they learned of the flight that hit Mount Illimani, they took on the investigation themselves.
Operation Tunupa
Having almost no experience traversing the rugged mountainous terrain, the men named their black box-hunting mission "Operation Tunupa" after the Incan god of knowledge. To up their odds of finding the box, they tried something other search teams hadn't.
An Uncovered Area
Most expeditions, naturally, searched the immediate area around the crash site, assuming anything worth finding would be strewn about close. Dan and Isaac, however, explored 3,000 feet down the mountain, and they quickly realized how important that route was.
Scattered for Miles
Because the Boeing 727 slammed into the mountainside at speeds of over 500 miles per hour, the wreckage was scattered for miles around, making the search incredibly difficult. But, the two men managed to discover debris the Air Force couldn't.
Precious Fragments
They even found the remains of the coveted black box! Thirty-one years of exposure to brutal weather conditions, however, left it in shambles. But, as important a discovery as the box was, that didn't hold a candle to what they found next.
Suitcase Surprises
There were two sealed suitcases lodged between some ice-covered boulders. When they opened the first one, they saw piles of poached crocodile skins worth millions of dollars. Still, they weren't prepared for the surprise inside suitcase number two.
Stacks of Cash
Their jaws dropped as they stared in awe down stacks upon stacks of crisp bills. They had no idea at the time, but they were looking at $20 million. Who would be carrying that kind of cash on a flight?
Mob Money
Dan and Isaac later learned from authorities the suitcase of money belonged to a well-known mob boss and drug dealer named Enrique Matalón Sr., who had been traveling with his family. The crash could very well have been orchestrated by a rival mob boss.
Officials Step In
The National Transportation Safety Board anxiously went through the wreckage the men found, hoping the black box had answers to the decades-old mystery. However, the box was not the in-flight recorder like they hoped, but instead something quite bizarre.
I Spy
It was an 18-minute recording of an episode of the show I Spy dubbed in Spanish. This reveal was, quite disappointingly, not the breaking development authorities hoped for. In the end, questions remained.
History Changed
Dan and Isaac made a discovery that shed serious light on the mysterious history of Eastern Airlines Flight 980. It just goes to show that sometimes it takes bold adventurers to uncover history's greatest mysteries. Two German hikers, however, made an equally important discovery that changed history back in 1991.
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