Air Force and CIA Cold War Operation Revealed by 1952 Plane Crash in Death Valley
In 1952, an Air Force SA-16 Albatross plane crashed in Death Valley, California, during a joint operation with the CIA aimed at countering Communist influence during the Cold War. The aircraft, part of the Air Resupply and Communications (ARC) Service, was on a routine flight from Mountain Home Air Force Base in Idaho when it encountered engine failure. The six airmen onboard parachuted to safety, with two sustaining minor injuries. The crash exposed the existence of the ARC Wings, a secretive collaboration between the Air Force and CIA, which involved unconventional warfare support. The wreckage remains in Death Valley, serving as a relic of Cold War history.