Fatal Crossing: The Mysterious Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 and the Quest for Answers

This book was of special interest to us because my husband's uncle died in this plane crash. Very readable and well-written account of the crash itself and the efforts since then to find the wreck.

I reside part of the time in southwest Michigan and had never heard of the disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 until a few years ago when I came across a newspaper article. The year was 1950 and a plane went missing over Lake Michigan.Other than some evidence that ended up on the shore near Benton Harbor which included body parts which were buried in a communal grave in a St. Joe cemetery no one knows where the plane crashed or where it is resting in the lake.The author V.O. Van Heest is a diver who has taken many dive groups to potential sites and details the many theories and problems with locating the wreckage. If you are thinking that 64 years later there would be nothing left to find at this point, don't believe it. It is a fairly common occurrence for divers to search all sorts of wrecks in the lake and almost just as common for these wrecks to be salvaged. Stuff like this hits the local papers with regularity.Part human interest since the missing plane rendered no survivors and part aviation disaster, this is an interesting book that only gets better when the technical aspects of diving and identifying potential sites are thrown into the mix.If you find aviation disasters interesting and like mysteries, this is a terrific read. I liked it very much and realized that the mystery of the missing Malaysian aircraft and the likelihood of locating it despite black box "pings" is probably an impossible task.

The information in this book that falls within the author's sphere of expertise (the search for wreckage and related analysis) are probably reliable.But having acquired the book to learn more about a family member who was killed in the crash, I was disappointed to find that person's name misspelled (when plenty of good sources to verify the accurate name are readily available) and another supposed family member discussed who did not, so far as I can tell, even exist.After making clear that there's no way to really know what the passengers experienced on the flight, the author then launches into a speculative and downright voyeuristic account of how children may have cried and clung to their mothers and so on. We all have our own imaginations, but for the author to indulge his own in such a lurid fashion was distasteful and exploitative.The details about the legal cases and related testimony were interesting, and made the purchase borderline worthwhile, but this author needed a better editor to rein him in and advise him to stick to the facts, and to do his due diligence in verifying those.

This is a very engrossing tale. Van Heest has done deep research into this tragic event, and leads the reader through her attempts at finding the wreckage of the plane which crashed near Lake Michigan in 1950. The reader is led through a step by step process as her crew of investigators search the area of the wreck, finding along the way many other ships and planes which disappeared over the years in the Lake. Van Heest takes great care when profiling the crew of the aircraft and its passengers--leaving a touching human quality to the mystery of the crash and its aftermath. The night of Flight 2501 is brought back to life as we learn of the experienced flight crew, the seemingly routine flightpath, and the severe weather encountered on the way to Minneapolis. Every element of this tragic tale is well written, thoroughly documented, and emotionally felt. High points and frustrations abound as the difficulty in finding this plane and its occupants is deftly expressed by the author and her crew. "Fatal Crossing" is a both a window to the past and a relevent look at where exploration is today. Excellent!

The book has only a few good chapters on the Flight itself ... the reason that I bought the book. All the other chapters are about the author's team trying to find the wreckage. That is also interesting ... but should have been a book on its own. Kind of patting themselves on the back all along. I wanted a more in depth analysis of the flight ... the passengers ... the loss. So I recommend this book ... just be aware that if you are like me ... the actual information about 2501 is limited.

I purchased this book expecting an in depth analysis and conclusions regarding the disappearance of an airliner over Lake Michigan. I wasn't disappointed, the depth of the research regarding the facts, factors, and potential causes of the crash of Flight 2501 is outstanding and intriguing. But, this book presents and delivers much more. The author researched each and every passenger and located their current family members. This includes discovery of a grave containing their loved ones remains, which brings some emotional closure, after all these years. Along with all this, the author details her attempts to locate the aircraft remains on the bottom of Lake Michigan. This facet of the book is very educational regarding the Lake Michigan history surrounding the many types of vessels that sank.The book documents an amazing "work of love" by the author that renders the technical aspects of the actual crash of Flight 2501 a secondary dimension.

This book is full of excellent info. It flows well and keeps your interest. The author will also put you on ae-mailing list to keep you informed on any search updates.

I live in Michigan where all this true drama and adventure took place. This story is factual and not fiction. I am a certified scuba diver and commercial pilot, so this book was wonderful to read. It really hit home with all the facts, heartbreaks and personal notes. After reading the book I contacted Valerie Van Heest and spoke with her on the phone. She is a real down to earth kind of person. All of this adds up to her being a wonderful author. I'd highly recommend this book to those who like wreck hunting, and true real life stories, as Mrs. Van Heest knows how to bring things into perspective and put a personal touch into it. "Fatal Crossing" is fantastic!