On New Year’s Day in 1965, a small plane was flying over Folsom Lake in northern California. The Piper Comanche 250 had 4 people on board, the pilot, and 3 passengers. A mid-air collision sent the plane crashing down into the water near the Folsom Dam. Folsom Lake covers 11,500 acres, and depending on drought levels, the lake reaches depths between 250-390ft. Only the body of the pilot was recovered. The plane and the other 3 victims were lost beneath the dark, murky water. Frank Wilcox spent the rest of his life searching for the remains of his brother, who was on the plane that fateful day. In 2014, after water levels decreased from drought, crews once again searched the lake for the missing plane. Unfortunately, the mission was unsuccessful. A few years later, Frank passed away without the chance to put his family at ease with the discovery of his brother’s remains.

In the 7 years that have passed since crews last searched for the plane in Folsom Lake, technology has greatly advanced. Located in Shingle Springs, about 20 miles east of Folsom Lake State Recreational Area, is a company that specializes in bathymetric surveying using sonar equipped waterborne drones. Seafloor Systems was founded by John Tamplin in 1999, a former Navy Hydrographer and Sonar Technician. John began Seafloor systems by attaching a single beam sonar system to a boat. By 2010, he recognized just how useful drones could be to survey underwater environments. Today, Seafloor Systems has a fleet of autonomous and remotely operated drones that can create detailed maps beneath the water surface.

In the spring of 2021, Tyler Atkinson and Jeff Riley of Seafloor Systems headed out to Folsom Lake to test out one of the drone systems they had been updating. With the lake practically being in their backyard, Tyler and Jeff had used drones to scan the lake countless times. They hadn’t expected to find anything unusual that day. Shortly after they sent the drone, or what Jeff called an ROV (Remote Operated Vehicle) out into the lake, they noticed a structure that was not of a natural design. “These lights on the ROV allow me to say, ‘OK there is no way that’s a rock,” Jeff said. So they sent the drone back to get a better look. The sonar captured image that showed up on the monitor shocked Tyler and Jeff, it was a fully intact plane laying 160ft below the surface on the lake floor.

The mystery of the plane that crashed 5 decades ago near Folsom Dam is well known by the people who live in El Dorado County. When the image on the drone’s monitor depicted a plane, Tyler and Jeff immediately thought they had found the Piper Comanche 250. The location of the wreckage was a bit off from where it was originally reported the plane went down, but there was no question as to what Tyler and Jeff were looking at. To get more details, they went back with another drone to take some underwater images. Through the drone’s camera, they were able to identify the fuselage and propellers that matched the descriptions of a Piper Comanche 250.

While the Seafloor Systems drones have clearly identified a small passenger plane in the depths of Folsom Lake, it has yet to be confirmed that it is the plane that crashed in 1965. All the drones have been able to document, as of yet, is the plane. The plane’s serial number has either washed away or is covered by debris. But for the families of the victims, like Frank Wilcox, they may have the chance to learn exactly what happened. It will be up to the Placer County Sheriff’s Office to decide if an investigation will ensue and if the plane will be excavated. Tyler is sure that he and Jeff found the plane that crashed on New Year’s Day 1965. “It’s right here, we know where it is,” Tyler said. “It’s a rewarding prospect to offer some sort of closure.”

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