The wreckage of a missing Lockheed T-33A jet trainer has been found in the ocean off Los Angeles International Airport (LAX).
This past April, members of UB88.org working in cooperation with Aircraftwrecks.com and the Missing Aircraft Search Team (MAST) located the wreck during a sonar survey for another aircraft, a missing P-51D Mustang fighter presumed lost at sea in 1944.
In the months following the discovery, a series of dives were conducted at the site in order to gather photographic evidence to help aid in the identification of the plane. A diver observed a stamped part number on a single piece of wreckage that was later confirmed by Lockheed-Martin to have originated from a T-33. The remains of an Allison J-33 turbo jet engine, also observed at the site, are consistent with the missing trainer.
Subsequent investigation revealed a reported U.S. Air Force T-33A lost from Los Angeles International Airport on October 15, 1955 with two crewmen aboard. The aircraft was presumed lost at sea shortly after takeoff. This is the only reported loss of a T-33 in the area.
All information surrounding this case has been turned over to the Joint Prisoner of War/Missing In Action Command (JPAC) and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Further investigation may be conducted to search for possible human remains. The names of the pilots are being withheld at this time pending notification of next of kin.
