In a remarkable development, experts believe they have discovered the wreckage of a private jet that disappeared over 50 years ago in Lake Champlain, Vermont. The corporate jet, which disappeared on January 27, 1971, shortly after departing from the Burlington airport, was carrying two crew members and three employees of Atlanta-based development company Cousin's Properties. The jet was en route to Providence, Rhode Island, where the team was working on a development project.

Despite numerous searches, no wreckage was found initially. Complicating matters, the lake froze only four days after the plane went missing. Over the following years, a total of 17 searches were conducted, but to no avail. It wasn't until last month that underwater searcher Garry Kozak and his team, using a remotely operated vehicle, uncovered the wreckage of a jet with the same custom paint scheme as the missing aircraft. The wreckage was found close to where the radio control tower had last tracked the plane before its disappearance, in an area about 200 feet deep near Juniper Island.

Kozak, confident in the discovery, remarked, "With all those pieces of evidence, we're 99% absolutely sure." The discovery of the long-lost wreckage in Lake Champlain gives closure to the families of the victims and provides answers to many of their longstanding questions.

The search for the wreckage took so long due to the nature of jet crashes, which often result in the plane breaking up into many small pieces that are difficult to detect. Kozak explained that sonar images of the wreckage showed it resembled a pile of rocks, easily overlooked without proper expertise.

Relatives of the victims expressed both gratitude and sadness upon learning of the discovery. Barbara Nikita, niece of pilot George Nikita, described the conflicting emotions, stating, "To have this found now... it's a peaceful feeling, at the same time it's a very sad feeling." Frank Wilder, whose father was a passenger on the ill-fated flight, echoed these sentiments, expressing relief at finally knowing the plane's location but acknowledging the inevitable new questions and challenges they must now face.

Debris from the plane had previously been found on Shelburne Point in the spring of 1971 when the lake's ice melted. However, subsequent searches in May of that year and over the following decades failed to locate the main wreckage. In 2014, authorities initiated another search, driven in part by the disappearance of a Malaysia Airlines plane, but technology at the time did not yield any results.

Barbara Nikita and her cousin Kristina Nikita Coffey, together with other victims' relatives, spearheaded the recent search efforts. By sharing information and documents, they were able to gain a greater understanding of the impact the incident had on each family. Charles Williams, one of the relatives, emphasized the collective effort and its influence on their comprehension of the situation.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the wreckage to verify its identity as the missing plane. According to Williams, the NTSB does not conduct salvage operations, which would likely be expensive. The decision about whether to disturb the wreckage and investigate further will be made later.

Families of the victims plan to hold a memorial now that the plane's location has been discovered, providing closure and an opportunity to remember their loved ones. This announcement follows another recent discovery in Lake Huron, where wreckage from a Tuskegee airman's plane, which crashed during a World War II training mission, was recovered approximately ten months ago.

As the investigation unfolds, the discovery of the long-lost jet in Lake Champlain holds significant historical and emotional significance for the families involved, shedding light on a mystery that has haunted them for over five decades.