Lebanon Airman Killed In `1952 Plane Crash To Be Laid To Rest

Lebanon native Marlon Lee Scott will finally be laid to rest, more than 70 years after he perished in the crash of a military plane in Alaska. His burial will take place Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at Oak Hill Cemetery, following a brief ceremony at Myers Mortuary.

In November 1952, a troop transport plane – carrying Airman 3-c Marlon L. Scott and fifty-one other servicemen – vanished over the Gulf of Alaska in extreme blizzard conditions. The aircraft, a C-124 Globemaster – largest transport plane at the time – was in route from McChord Air Force Base in Tacoma, Washington, to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage. It was later determined that the plane had crashed into the side of Mount Gannett, east of Anchorage, immediately killing all aboard.

In June 2012, Stephen L. Scott Sr., of Indianapolis, the younger brother of Marlon, was informed by officials that a National Guard helicopter crew had spotted pieces of the plane's wreckage. The debris was scattered and buried on Colony Glacier, twelve miles from where the Globemaster's wreckage was last seen in 1952. That triggered new recovery efforts, which included many agencies and personnel from the Air Force, Army, and National Guard.

In April 2025, Steve received notification that further investigations uncovered and confirmed – through DNA – Marlon's remains. After the necessary paperwork, a coffin carrying Marlon's remains were transported to Lebanon.

The public is invited to the funeral service at 11:30 a.m., on Wednesday, May 27, 2026, at Myers Mortuary, 1502 North Lebanon Street, in Lebanon, Indiana.