The Missing Crew Of U.S. Navy Blimp L-8

     On August 16, 1942, U.S. Navy Blimp L-8, designated flight 101, took off from Treasure Island, California.  The two pilots, Ensign Charles Adams and Lt. Ernest Cody, were on a submarine spotting mission.  The Navy had ramped up these missions after Japanese subs had been seen off the coast of California in previous months.

     Around 7:38am, an hour and a half after takeoff, Lt. Cody radioed headquarters.  He gave his position as three miles east of the Farallon Islands.  Four minutes later Lt. Cody again radioed, this time to report he was investigating an oil slick.  After that, the radio signal appeared to be lost.

    For the next three hours there is no communication with flight 101.  Then, the blimp returns to land unexpectedly and nearly collides with a house.  The blimp skidded across the roof and landed in the street nearby.  Officials were on the scene within minutes.  However, there was no sign of Ensign Adams or Lt. Cody.  Where were the two Navy pilots?

     The Navy launched an investigation.  They discovered numerous planes and ships who saw the blimp on the day the two pilots vanished.  Some even got close enough to actually see the two pilots inside and reported that everything seemed normal.  A search of the blimp raised more questions.  They found the door latch open, and the safety bar was no longer in place.  A microphone was dangling.  The radio and ignition switches were still on.  Lt. Cody's hat and briefcase were still there.  Two lifejackets were missing, although no one saw the men jump or fall from the blimp.  The helium bag was also found to be leaking.

     There was never any sign of the two pilots, and they were presumed dead.  The blimp soon became known as the "ghost blimp" because of the vanishing crew.  So, what happened to Ensign Adams and Lt. Cody?  How could both men accidentally fall out of the blimp?  Were they abducted by a UFO?  Did they intentionally go AWOL?

     My personal theory is the leaking helium caused the two men to become disoriented.  They put their lifejackets on, opened the door, and stepped out into open sky.  What do you think?  Will the mystery of the two vanishing pilots ever be solved?