Google Earth helps find plane wreckage
By Emily Price
On September 24, 2006 a two-passenger plane carrying Marcy Randolph and William Westover disappeared which the two were on a sightseeing trip in Arizona. After searching for two and a half years the wreckage of the plane was finally found, with the help of Google Earth.
According to reports, a man found pictures of a forest fire hat had been reported the same day as the crash. Using Google Maps they were able to pinpoint exactly where the photo was taken, ultimately finding the long lost wreckage of the plane. While the families had searched in that particular area, they had managed to miss the location where the wreckage actually was. Google Earth helped them narrow down their search, and ultimately find what they were looking for.
While not exactly the ending they were hoping for, finding the wreckage gives some closure for the families as well as new ideas for people who may be searching for wreckage in the future. The families set up an organization called MARSI (which stands for Mapped Archive of Rescue and Search information) where they detail how they were able to use Google Earth to find the plane, in an attempt to help others in similar situations do the same.
Google Earth is an amazing tool for looking at places you’d like to travel, viewing a street where you might potential rent an apartment, or just getting a small glimpse into another place – it’s amazing that it can also be used to do something as useful as find plane wreckage.
Hopefully the experience that Marcy Randolph and William Westover’s family had will help other families in the future find their loved ones as well. The program could hopefully becomes useful early on in the search, where families might even be able to save their loved ones before it’s too late.
What do you think about this story? What other uses can you think of for Google Earth? Have you ever used the program to find something you’re looking for?
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