Historian finds live warhead at decades-old military plane crash site in Grant County

A historian digging around a newly discovered 1955 military airplane crash site in Grant County found a live warhead in the wreckage this week.

The plane, an F-86D Interceptor, was located near the intersection of state Route 17 and state Route 170 near Warden, Washington, according to the Grant County Sheriff’s Office. The historian, who is also a retired Air Force veteran, found a live 2.75-inch missile warhead.

An Air Force explosive ordinance disposal team responded Thursday to render the warhead safe.

According to the Aviation History Online Museum, the F-86D “Sabre” interceptor was an all-weather fighter jet. Each carried 24 2.75-inch “Mighty Mouse” air-to-air missiles. Production of the plane stopped in 1956.