WWII Pilot's Skeleton Found on Kokoda Track

[AvroAvian]

This is bizarre!
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008 ... 348489.htm

[lowpass]

Wow, thats amazing that the shoot harness held up that long and that the body did for that long.

Who ever he is I hope he finally gets to go home.

Kyle

[Robbie Roberts]

Could be DB Cooper- they ain't looked there yet...

Looking forward to hearing more about this discovery! Makes you wonder how many others might just be hanging around!

Robbie

[JägerMarty]

Very interesting, I wonder if it's real?
Look fwd to this being followed up

[airnutz]

Lest we forget. If true, I hope they can reconnect him with his family.

Several years back, I recall they found a complete Auster up a tree somewhere down thataways.

[JDK]

More here. It's clear that we don't know it's a body yet. It could be a mistake, or even a stores package. 'Storpedoes' were about the size of a small person, for instance.

The Age newspaper Report

[Steve Nelson]

A fascinating discovery, to be sure. I wonder, what is the usual growth rate/lifespan of trees in that environment? I thought life cycles were fairly rapid in a rain forest. Would a tree large enough to ensnare a parachute 65 years ago still be standing today?

SN

[tom d. friedman]

hanging in the trees that long???? in those jungle conditions????

[JDK]

Would a tree large enough to ensnare a parachute 65 years ago still be standing today?

Perfectly possible. Mature jungle trees in PNG can live a long time - a hundred years or more, with the major growth taking place in the first decade or two.

[Steve Nelson]

Thanks, JDK. I wasn't trying to be a debunker..just curious. If it is a person, I hope they can track down his family and finally lay him to rest..whoever he was.

SN

[JDK]

Thanks, JDK. I wasn't trying to be a debunker..just curious. If it is a person, I hope they can track down his family and finally lay him to rest..whoever he was.

Hey, I'm no expert, and I'm pretty sceptical myself. I'd file it under the 'possible but improbable' heading until we hear more. At least it's a) being investigated and b) by the right people.
Cheers,

[airnutz]

Hey, I'm no expert, and I'm pretty sceptical myself. I'd file it under the 'possible but improbable'

Ditto here, as TomD alluded to..all those years in the jungle canopy intact? You'd expect
the skeleton would've disintegrated to the jungle below.

Storepedoe sounds likely, if not folks poking shadows. Jesus in the toast...if you follow my drift?

[Swiss Mustangs]

I concur with JDK and others.... possible but heavy on the unlikely side...

on the following link, 2nd pic, are "Storpedoes" for comparison....

http://home.st.net.au/~dunn/200flight.htm

Martin

[JägerMarty]

Would a tree large enough to ensnare a parachute 65 years ago still be standing today?

SN

Of course, it's when they run into loggers that problems arise

[43-2195]

Gentlemen, with total respect to all concerned, particularly the dead. How much do you guys know about recovering MIA's? Are you aware that the U.S. Army Joint Personnel Accounting Command(JPAC) at Hickam HI have a limited budget? That Iraq, Afganistan and Vietnam are the priority sites. That a "PNG List" of MIA sites exists and is, time & funding permitting, slowly being investigated. That Multi Crew aircraft take priority over single seat fighters(why? Because the results are greater-statistics!). MIA's are a VERY emotive issue, and everybody has an opinion, but at the end of the day real world issue dictate how these matters are handled. There is a elderly gentleman on Rhode Island who has been waiting 64 years for his brothers remains to be exhumed from a shallow grave on Kairuru Island(off Wewak). Should that be put off to pursue this current find? How about the C-47 "Windy City", seen to crash on Mt Victoria by his fellow pilots, in December 1943.Not recovered at the time, located again by villagers in late 2007 and slated for initial investigation in January 2009 or two P-38's(probably 475th FG-triple digits on nose) located in Mountains above Astrolabe Bay in 1960's by Australian Patrol Officer, yet to be investigated by JPAC. Those guys do an excellent job with the resources available to them, but we need to be mindful of their limitations.