Knowing The Truth

For Ron’s family, the emergence of the video was more than a coincidence. It was an opportunity for them to know what exactly had happened with their grandfather. Phil contacted the person who had made the video.
He said, “I emailed him, and I said, ‘Would you be willing to share the coordinates of where you found this aircraft because I am the grandson and I would just like to try and find closure.’”

Asking For Help

Help is the best thing you can offer to someone. The person who had posted the video originally agreed to help Phil. Thanks to the YouTuber, Phil found the location where his grandfather’s plane crashed. The spot was very far from and at a difficult place but that was not going to shake their determination. He told his father about it. 

The Team

Alistair too wanted to know what had happened with his father and so he too decided to accompany his son. Phil and Alistair had made the plan of investigating the place themselves. After a five-hour trek through the Norwegian jungles, they finally fond the spot where the Hellcat hid for centuries.

The Spot

The site was situated 300 miles into the Arctic circle. Surprisingly, even though the decades had passed the wreckage seemed well preserved. Phil described, “We found an almost complete but disintegrated Hellcat aircraft that had hardly weathered or perished as it has spent most of every year since covered in snow.”

Intact

Phil added, “there was virtually no rust on it, as if it had crashed last week.” “The rubber seals on the fuel pipes were as if they were still new.” They spotted wings that laid on the site and was torn during the crash. What more, they saw debris spread over an area of 2,152 square feet. 

Overwhelmed

So, how did he feel on seeing the Hellcat, “We saw parts of the fuselage still riddled with bullet holes. And the tail was very clearly still intact one piece.” He added, “Seeing the extent of the wreckage really moves me. I compare it to my own flying career in the navy, and know how close to dangerous situations I have been in. But, fortunately I have always come out the other side of them.”