WW2 Plane Salvaged From Lake Washington Flies Again After 80 Years

A WWII Bomber Returns to the Skies

When a Curtiss SB2C-1A Helldiver roared back into the air over Colorado Springs on July 19, it wasn’t just another warbird demonstration. It marked the end of a 40-year journey—from the bottom of Lake Washington to the skies above one of America’s premier aviation museums.

The Helldiver, one of only three airworthy examples left in the world, had long been forgotten—burned, stripped, and sunk by the Navy after a hard landing in 1945. But thanks to the efforts of two curious 19-year-olds in 1984, its story wasn’t over.

Matt McCauley and Jeff Hummel were college students when they set out to explore the rumored wrecks of WWII aircraft submerged in Lake Washington. What they found was a battered Helldiver—missing its engine, tail, and wings beyond the fold. Still, it was a remarkable piece of history. Using flotation bags, the pair raised the wreck and towed it to shore.

Legal Battle versus…. The US Navy??

The Navy wasn’t ready to part with the past. It claimed ownership of the aircraft, sparking a legal battle the young men eventually won. McCauley and Hummel kept the wreck, and after some time in McCauley’s driveway, the Helldiver began a slow march through various owners and shops.

That journey finally found its home at WestPac Restorations in Colorado Springs, where the aircraft was meticulously rebuilt with the backing of the Slattery Family Foundation and the leadership of restoration expert Bill Klaers.

“It was amazing to see,” said McCauley, who flew out to witness the Helldiver’s first public flight. “To see the completion of something I had been dreaming about for all these years… it’s an indescribable feeling.”

From Zero To Hero

Before the flight, more than 600 people attended a museum presentation titled “From Zero to Hero,” which chronicled the Helldiver’s rocky development, design changes, and eventual redemption as a capable dive bomber in the Pacific War.

“It’s been called a bad airplane, but that’s an oversimplification,” said Klaers, noting that the Helldiver, despite its early flaws, became one of the Navy’s most effective strike aircraft.

Now fully restored and flying, the Helldiver is more than just a museum piece—it’s a living tribute to forgotten wartime engineering and the persistence of those who refused to let it rust away in silence.

“It was a burned-out wreck in my driveway,” McCauley said, looking at the gleaming Navy-blue plane. “Now, it’s a miracle in the sky.”