Searchers find pilot's body in Flathead Lake

After 46 years, a Marine Corps pilot's remains — and his reputation — will be recovered from Flathead Lake after a search effort led to the discovery of his final resting place last Friday afternoon.

The search for Marine Reserve John Floyd Eaheart started about 15 years ago when Kalispell resident John Gisselbrecht began researching the accident that led to Eaheart's death, after his F9F Cougar jet apparently stalled and he was unable to recover in time.

"That aircraft was prone to engine stalls," Gisselbrecht said. "They could happen anytime, anywhere."

What searchers discovered last week was that the crash site was up to three miles away from where investigators originally looked after the accident on March 21, 1960. And what they found there, in addition to Eaheart's remains, provided valuable clues as to what happened in the last few seconds of his life, Gisselbrecht said.

Contrary to stories that circulated after the crash, Eaheart was not hot-dogging around the lake or flying recklessly, Gisselbrecht said.

"Most legends seem to take on a negative context. The original stories I heard had turned the pilot into a showoff. I've actually found five different stories that put the pilot in a negative light," Gisselbrecht said.

Gisselbrecht outlined his theory at a press conference in Missoula Monday afternoon, held at the Museum of Mountain Flying, where he works. According to him, Eaheart was circling the area near his future father-in-law's house when the plane's engine experienced compressor failure. Contrary to earlier stories, Eaheart was at a reasonable altitude, and flying at a reasonable speed.

"In order to put that aircraft in [the water] where it made impact, he was at a minimum of 200 feet above the minimum legal level for flyovers. The aircraft was witnessed to have been at a 30-degree, nose-down attitude, which is typical for starting a jet engine that has stalled," he said.

Eaheart apparently got the tail of the aircraft up, which first made contact with the lake, and then tried to eject, Gisselbrecht said, but the ejection failed due to technological limitations at the time.

Initial searches turned up a helmet that was found to have brain matter in it, indicating Eaheart had died. He was flying over the lake near his then-fiancee Viola Pinkerman's father's house. Pinkerman, who has since married, was at the press conference, and spent much of last week at the search site.

Eaheart was on a two-week training mission out of Los Alamitos Naval Air Station in California, Gisselbrecht said, when he arranged to fly to Western Montana. Pinkerman, whose last name is now Lewis, and Eaheart were not yet married because she was a flight attendant, and most airlines required them to remain single.

They were going to marry after she quit her job, Gisselbrecht said.

Gisselbrecht said witnesses also reported seeing a "rooster tail" in the water behind the jet, similar to one produced by a jet ski, debunking the theory that a bird had gotten sucked into the engine.

Pinkerman's father and two neighbors witnessed the crash, but investigators were unable to theorize exactly what happened until the discovery of the crash site last Friday. The search was actually made possible by Gene and Sandy Ralston, an Idaho couple who specialize in using side sonar to search for the bodies of drowning, suicide and homicide victims who ultimately end up in the water.

The Ralstons typically don't charge families for their services, asking only to be reimbursed for fuel costs associated with the search. They were the subject of a feature story last spring in the Lake County Leader, when they were on the lake looking for the body of a drowned Charlo man.

The discovery Friday of Eaheart's remains was the culmination of about five days' work, in which divers were hampered by choppy weather, but aided by a cadaver-sniffing dog named Ruby, who alerted on the site after the Ralston's side sonar device picked up debris last Thursday. Using a meticulous search process, the couple maps out a grid area and is able to scan depths of hundreds of feet of water, albeit slowly.

Eaheart's final resting place was in 276 feet of water between Wild Horse Island and Blue Bay, Gisselbrecht said.

The Ralstons have been responsible for the recovery of dozens of bodies, and are inspired by the feeling of closure they give to victims' families, they said in an interview last year. According to Gisselbrecht, they were frustrated at news reports last week that said they were unable to find the body.

"This could not have happened without Gene and Sandy. They said last week 'There is no quitting,'" he said.

Following the discovery of the crash site, which also contained a deployed parachute, Gisselbrecht took video footage of the site to the Lake County Sheriff's office, where the coroner on duty verified it was human remains.

Recovery of Eaheart's remains will be turned over the Navy, Gisselbrecht said, because it is still a military burial site. Lewis and other family members initially thought it best to leave his remains at the crash site, but after seeing footage of the bottom of the lake, now want to give Eaheart a proper burial, Gisselbrecht said.

"It's a very emotional thing. Once people see the bottom of the lake they notice it's not a graceful place to be," he said.

Gisselbrecht said the only surviving blood relative of Eaheart lives in the area, and was only 14 at the time of the crash. Lewis lives next door to the house her father was living in at the time of the crash, and that house was used as a base of operations during the search process.

For Gisselbrecht, the motivation to research the story and begin the search came from his belief in the military's philosophy of not leaving anyone behind.

"We had a flag flying on the [Ralston's] boat saying 'You are not forgotten.' That's a military tradition, that we won't leave you behind," he said. "Finding his remains was one of the best feelings a person can have. It's just short of a half-century-old missing pilot case that has just been solved."