Mystery of the Mitchell Ghost Bomber Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

georockers412: It had a good run. Thanks for all the finds!

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Hidden : 7/17/2012
Difficulty:
1.5 out of 5
Terrain:
3 out of 5

Size: Size: regular (regular)

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Geocache Description:


On January 31, 1956, at 4:11pm, a Mitchell B-25 Bomber crash landed in the Monongahela River near Homestead, PA. The airplane floated downstream for approximate one mile before sinking near Becks Run Road. Of the six occupants of the aircraft, four survived while two lives were claimed by the icy river. The large aircraft, at 52 feet long and 17 feet tall with 67 ft wingspan, has never been recovered; although, the average river depth is only 18 ft. 

Some experts suggest that the airplane sits precisely at the bottom of the river: resting in an open gravel pit, in 32 feet of water, under 15 feet of silt, just off of Birds Landing, approximately 150 feet off of the river bank. Other eyewitnesses disagree.

This story unfolded at the height of the Cold War, when conspiracy theories and paranoia were rampant. A private investigation points to theories of a government cover-up, tampered and destroyed evidence, a top-secret hydrogen bomb cargo, and an unnamed seventh or eighth passenger. Twenty years after the incident an anonymous caller telephoned into a radio broadcast, recounting a story of a military cover-up, stating that he and several other truck drivers were hired to haul the plane away from the crash site. He indicates that the plane was taken to the nearby Nike Missile facility in Oakdale, PA.

The truth of the mystery is that we will never know what happened to the plane. The fate of the Mitchell Ghost Bomber remains as one of the most fascinating, unexplained mysteries of Pittsburgh. For a fascinating investigative report, please read The Incident That Could Have Killed Pittsburgh by Robert H. Johns.

Cache is a two-quart clear container loaded with toy soldiers. This cache is the starting point for the trackable "Mitchell Ghost Bomber" (TB4YCXZ) which is circling Pittsburgh, PA.

FTF congrats to I Brive A Dus!

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Cvyr bs ebpxf, onfr bs gerrf.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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