In 1952, one plane left the ground and never returned. The aircraft, nicknamed 'Old Shakey', was a Douglas C-124 Globemaster II. The vibrating plane left from the McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington on the morning of November 22. Over 50 US military personnel were on board, but they all suffered the same tragic fate, crashing down somewhere outside of Anchorage, Alaska.
On that day in that area, there was a report of a sudden snowstorm that was accompanied by a thick fog. It was unlikely that the captain had any visibility. Experts today say that landing safely during those conditions would have been impossible. The pilot would have likely had to use an instrument to land the plane. Sadly, the aircraft only came with a radio beacon receiver, a barometric altimeter to gauge altitude and a stopwatch. These were not enough to spot a runway...
It is believed that the crash signaled an avalanche, as well as an additional eight feet of fresh snow from the storm, thus completely covering the wreckage for several decades before it had melted enough to retrieve it. The crash occurred less than 60 miles from its hopeful destination. It was discovered on the side of Mount Gannett.