Why Lake Havasu is the Bermuda Triangle of the West

A recent issue of Route Magazine had an article about Lake Havasu, calling it the Bermuda Triangle of the West. On two different occasions, planes have crashed into the lake, never to be seen again. That's despite over 700,000 people visiting the lake every year, and in one of the cases, multiple witnesses saw where the plane crashed, but its still missing.

Lake Havasu is a large reservoir on the Colorado River, located on the border of Arizona and California, that was formed after the Parker Dam was completed in 1938. Nowadays the lake is a very popular recreation area, but prior to the 1960s the area was pretty remote.

The first plane to go missing in the lake disappeared in 1943, during the height of World War II. The pilot managed to parachute to safety, but his Pursuit P-40 was never seen again.

Seventeen years later, in 1960, another plane crashed into the lake, this one carrying two brothers from California on a hunting trip. Multiple witnesses on the ground and air saw the crash and both bodies were recovered less than two hours after the crash. The plane however, has still not been found.

[frederickmiller]

Hi Steve, You present many places I have never heard of, and probably never would except for you. Thanks.

[RR]

Another aviation mystery from the region is the Martens/Walker disappearance from 1951. A small plane that had been reported missing in California turned up two weeks later in SW Arizona, having landed on the flat desert despite being in perfect working order with ample fuel, and the young couple onboard had vanished without a trace.

[espritmike]

I’ve owned a vacation home in Havasu for a few years and been coming out there for over 30 years. I love it but never heard this story. Crazy

[j.b.a.]

Awesome video as always, Steve. Visited Lake Havasu about 20 years ago & it was 117 degrees at night. Greetings from Florida.

[MotorPotor]

I am the Archaeologist for the Lake Havasu BLM Office and took part in the sinking of the A-6 last year...that was a trip.

[chrisylink]

My brother just moved here. And I just went my first time last week for thanksgiving. One of the most beautiful places I have ever been to!

[rodneycarey]

I grew up in AZ only about 60 miles from Havasu and never knew this. How cool!!! Thank you

[maryelmaguire]

The museum there is really nice and it’s free. My family and I use to live in Parker Dam CA. My dad was a power plant operator at the dam. We would put our boat in at Parker and ski to Havasu and dock our boat right by the London Bridge. We would watch them transform the water way and watched them bring in the bridge section by section. We were there for the grand opening of the bridge and the ceremony. My mom called it a 5 year vacation. My parents wish they would have bought property there 55 years ago.

[Qusin]

Lake Havasu City residents were surprised to see a large crane Wednesday on the island, lowering an old military aircraft into the lake near Site Six. Bureau of Land Management submerged the A6 Avenger plane near the Site Six fishing docks to be used as fishery habitat.

[chrisanderson]

Steve, found your channel within the last two weeks. Love the content. Shared with friends in Solana Beach area for recommendations of little known things to do. Thanks!

[derekconstantino]

Used to live on the island in havasu. I miss it so much.

[carenann]

I liked for the loud bird, but I stayed for the great story, thank you!

[lynnebigge]

Enjoying all of your Sidetracked Adventures! Carol was one of your best advertisers!

[johndownes]

I used to know a man who worked at Parker Dam in the 1980s. He said divers had to inspect the outlets of the power generators on a regular basis. They would supposedly go down in shark cages to protect them from the giant catfish that lived down there.

[jessstone]

Jut seeing these drone shots of the lake is marvelous! I'm in Phoenix...and seeing this lovely lake makes me wanna go swimming!!!!

[CactusAtlas]

Fascinating! Apart from the bridge and tourism, I really didn't know much about any crashes in the lake. Great topic! 👍 We haven't really gone out there too much.

[michaelsonleitner]

Thanks Steve! Great narration of these unusual events.

[TheAsif]

always fun to see your video .
simply i would say thank you steve for being there for me .❤

[ThatCreditGuy]

I very much enjoy your videos. These places you’ve visited have peaked my interest and we’re planning trips to visit some of these sites. Thank you, and keep these coming!

[PinInTheAtlas]

Great video Steve and a very interesting story about the planes. We guess some things are meant to remain a mystery.