Archaeologists in Essex are hoping to resolve the eight-decade-old mystery of a Second World War plane crash that is believed to have claimed the life of an American airman. A dig, led by Cotswold Archaeology in partnership with the US Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency (DPAA), aims to recover evidence from a US Army Air Forces P-47 Thunderbolt which came down on 26 January 1944. Second Lieutenant Lester Leo Lowry, of the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group, was flying the aircraft, known as Lucky Boy, when it went down after departing RAF Bodney in Norfolk on a training flight. He was last in a formation of four P-47s practising manoeuvres in low-visibility conditions. Flight logs record that his aircraft entered thick cloud in a steep dive and struck open ground at a 60-degree angle. There was no indication he had attempted to bail out. The wreckage smouldered for several days before military teams could investigate. A US recovery team reported the aircraft was destroyed, but oddly, no remains were found. A further investigation in 1949 again drew a blank. In 1979, an amateur excavation by the Essex Aviation Group recovered machine guns and propeller blades, confirming the site of the crash. The current project involves screening and metal detection to identify small artefacts and any possible fragments of human remains. Items recovered will be transferred to the DPAA, with any bone material sent to a US government laboratory in Nebraska for analysis and identification. The team has already surveyed more than 2,300 sq m and recovered close to 5,000 artefacts, including parts of the cockpit, fuselage, wings, engines and guns. "This is painstaking, highly respectful work. Our goal is to document the crash scientifically, responsibly recover any evidence, and support DPAA's mission to account for missing US personnel," said Sam Wilson, lead archaeologist. Almost 250 volunteers are involved, including UK and Canadian veterans, US military personnel, archaeologists, researchers, local people, and licensed metal detectorists.