Think & Drink: Fatal Crossing–The Disappearance of NWA Flight 2501 @ WMM
On June 23, 1950, Northwest Airlines Flight 2501 with 58 passengers aboard vanished over Lake Michigan. The wreck was never found, and the cause of the disaster remained one of aviation’s greatest unsolved mysteries.
Valerie van Heest, who is presenting virtually, recounts her decades-long quest to solve the mystery of the lost airliner. Working in partnership with the Michigan Shipwreck Research Association and renowned author Clive Cussler, Valerie’s team discovered numerous shipwrecks, but the plane remains unfound. However, the search did lead the team to the stories of witnesses, personnel, and families left behind.
Van Heest is the 2025 Great Lakes Historian of the Year—the first woman to receive this honor—and an inductee in the Women Divers Hall of Fame. The author and lecturer has dedicated her career to underwater archaeology and museum exhibit design.
Admission is free. Limited bar opens at 6. Registration to see a live stream also available.
