C-45 Abandoned Midflight Discovered in Lake Ontario

Bethany Whitfield

Tuesday, July 15, 2014 at 08:39 PM ET

Verified

** C-45**

Key Takeaways:

Divers recently discovered a C-45 aircraft, the military version of the Beech Model 18, that crashed into Lake Ontario on September 11, 1952.
The plane remained relatively intact despite plunging into the lake after its left engine failed.
All five people aboard safely parachuted to safety mid-flight before the abandoned aircraft traveled another 65 miles and crashed.
Initial search efforts for the C-45 were conducted but abandoned after only a few days following the incident.

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Divers looking for shipwrecks in Lake Ontario came across a historic find when they stumbled upon a C-45 that crashed into the lake more than six decades ago.

The C-45, the military version of the Beech Model 18, remained relatively intact after plunging into the lake on Sept. 11, 1952. The airplane was abandoned midflight after the left engine failed and all five aboard parachuted to safety.