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Keep up to date with the latest news from the warbird community. We update this page on an as-needed basis, and items are moved to the News Archive after approximately fourteen months.

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January 2007:

• 6 January: A 1941 Ryan ST3KR, N56434, force-landed in a field near Worthington Springs, Florida, USA, after a loss of engine power. Neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.

• 18 January: A 1945 Douglas C-54G Skymaster, N82FA (s/n 45-0507), owned and operated by Roger Brooks, experienced an engine fire and force-landed on the frozen tundra, five miles west of Nenana, Alaska, USA. Neither crewmember was injured.

• 24 January: A Yakovlev Yak-52, N4437F, suffered the collapse of its left main landing gear during its landing roll in Santa Rosa, California, USA. Neither occupant was injured. (See photo below.)
   
      
       (Photo courtesy J. Langlois)

February 2007:

• 3 February: During a formation flight, a 1942 Boeing PT-17 Stearman (N49270) collided with a 1940 Waco UPF-7 biplane (N30140) over the Pacific Ocean near Palos Verdes, California, USA. The Stearman's propeller apparently struck the tail of the Waco. The Stearman pilot successfully returned to his home base, Torrance Airport. The pilot of the Waco landed in shallow water near shore, where the plane flipped over. Neither pilot was seriously hurt.

• 4 February: An alliance has been formed between the British Columbia Aviation Council (Canada) and the Maryland Aviation Museum (USA), to acquire and preserve the last two Martin Mars flying boats. The aircraft had been active for the past 40 years as water bombers in Canada, and were retired last year. Initial plans are for one aircraft to be displayed in Port Alberni, Vancouver, B.C., and the other to be displayed in Middle River, Maryland.

March 2007:

• 16 March: The owner/pilot of an Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros was killed in the crash of his airplane at the TICO warbird airshow in Titusville, Florida, USA. Elion Krugman-Kadi was performing a loop when he entered scattered clouds and apparently lost sight of the ground and pulled out too low.

• 26 March: This week, search crews will visit several sites identified by sonar that might be the resting place of a Douglas DC-4 missing over Lake Michigan, USA since 1950. Teams of searchers, one financed by author Clive Cussler, have been combing the depths of the lake on and off since 2004.

• 29 March: The pilot of a Boeing PT-13 Stearman that hit a power line over a Wisconsin lake in 2004, and whose passenger died in the subsequent crash, has been charged with "homicide by negligent use of a motor vehicle." The pilot has pleaded not guilty.

• 30 March: A Yakovlev Yak-52, N808TD, made a gear-up landing at Courtland, Alabama, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

April 2007:

• 3 April: A Boeing E75N Stearman, N3840K, was substantially damaged in a landing accident in Fostoria, Ohio, USA. Neither occupant was seriously injured.

• 7 April: The pilot of a Scottish Aviation Bulldog, N706X, was killed, and a passenger injured, when their aircraft crashed near South Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA. The passenger walked to safety after spending the night at the remote crash site.

• 14 April: BAE Systems in Mojave, California has received a contract from the US Air Force to convert almost two dozen McDonnell-Douglas F-4 Phantom fighters into unmanned QF-4 drones. BAE has been providing QF-4s to the military since 1992.

• 14 April: One of the few civilian operators of the Lockheed F-104 Starfighter, Starfighters, Inc. of Clearwater, Florida, USA will be hosted by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) beginning next week. The F-104 will participate in flights intended to help analyze various launch trajectories that might be accomplished from NASAs three-mile long Shuttle Landing Facility. Flight profiles will include supersonic noise-footprint assessments.

• 15 April: A team of searchers found debris from the 1947 crash of a North American B-25 Mitchell bomber near Longview, Washington, USA. The crash was made semi-famous after several newspaper articles and books reported that the bomber was carrying fragments of "flying disk debris." [ Crash report ]   

• 17 April: A North American T-28 Trojan, N464SB, suffered an engine failure after takeoff from Red Lodge, Montana, USA. The pilot, well-known warbird financer Wally Zook, made a successful forced landing in a field.

• 24 April: Another North American T-28 Trojan, N328RB, experienced an engine failure and made a forced landing, this time on a beach in Oxnard, California, USA. Neither the pilot nor passenger was injured. The aircraft was reportedly in formation with another T-28 when its engine abruptly began spewing flames.

• 26 April: An appellate court in Illinois, USA has reinstated a wrongful-death lawsuit brought against the Lima Lima Flight Team, Inc, a popular T-34 formation demonstration team. In 1999, team member Keith Evans was killed in a mid-air collision, and a subsequent lawsuit against the team and another pilot was dismissed. This new suit alleges the team was negligent in failing to implement certain formation procedures that might have prevented the accident.

May 2007:

• 1 May: A Nanchang CJ-6A, N552CY, declared an emergency and force-landed in a field near Phoenix, Arizona, USA. The sole occupant was not injured.

• 1 May: Restoration has begun in Hampden, Maine, USA on a 1943 Piper L-4 reportedly flown by General George Patton in 1944. The owner of the aircraft, which is named "Liberty Girl," crashed the airplane in Japan in 2005 during an around-the-world attempt.

• 3 May: A Grumman US-2B Tracker, N5234A (BuNo 136404), operated by the Old Dominion Squadron of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), crashed on approach to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Cherry Point, North Carolina, USA. Miraculously, all five occupants survived the crash. The aircraft was destroyed, partially by the crash itself, and also by a forest fire triggered by a downed powerline at the crash site.

• 7 May: The Collings Foundation West is pleased to announce the successful first test flight of its McDonnell-Douglas TA-4J Skyhawk, N524CF (BuNo 153524). The flight was conducted from the aircraft's home base of Ellington Field, Houston, Texas, USA.

• 10 May: A pseudo-replica of a Japanese Zero (actually CCF Harvard Mk. IV N7757) suffered the collapse of its landing gear during a landing rollout in Peachtree City, Georgia, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 23 May: A 1942 Boeing A75N1 (PT-17) Stearman, N55718, crashed into the water near Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, USA. Both occupants were killed.

June 2007:

•  3 June: The restored P-38 Lightning named "Glacier Girl" will complete the WWII mission that ended with its landing on a Greenland ice field along with five other P-38s and two B-17s in 1942. Pilot Steve Hinton and "Glacier Girl" will depart America on 22 June and fly to England. A newly-restored P-51 (N251RJ), flown by Ed Shipley, will accompany him, and the adventure will be broadcast to the public using special satellite communications gear. The Mustang, owned by Duxford-based The Fighter Collection, will remain in the UK, while the Lightning will return to the USA.

• 14 June: The 1945 crash site of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning that crashed in the Oregon desert has been declared a Federal historical site, protecting it from further defacement and "parts-poaching." The pilot, 2Lt Max Clark, was killed on 11 February 1945 while on a gunnery training flight about 25 miles southeast of Christmas Valley, Oregon.

• 17 June: A 1945 North American AT-6F Texan, N75AG, struck powerlines but managed to land safely at Columbia, California, USA.

• 22 June: The "Glacier Girl" P-38 and its accompanying P-51 Mustang escort arrived at Presque Isle, Maine, in preparation for their departure across the Atlantic Ocean. (See 3 June entry above.) For more information, and to track the flight real-time, see the "Operation Bolero II" links at AirshowBuzz.com.

• 28 June: Operation Bolero II has been postponed. (See entries above). Glacier Girl, after being grounded at Goose Bay for engine troubles, will not make the trip to the UK, but will instead be repaired in time to make the EAA AirVenture event in late July.

July 2007:

•  2 July: A Nanchang CJ-6, N10EB, suffered the collapse of its landing gear after landing at Brigham City, Utah, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 3 July: Construction workers near Watsonville, California, USA have discovered what appear to be buried airplane parts, circa WWII. Crews unearthed a chunk of riveted metal, a burned parachute, and some bullet casings while digging a trench near the site of a long-defunct airport.

• 14 July: A 1941 Boeing A75N-1 (PT-17) Stearman, N7034Y, ran off the end of the runway and plowed into a cornfield while landing at Oelwein, Iowa, USA. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but the pilot was not injured.

• 15 July: Pilot John McKittrick was killed in the crash of a North American P-51D Mustang, N51TK ("Lou IV") at Camarillo Airport, California, USA. Witnesses reported seeing the plane bounce into the air and subsequently roll over during a touch-and-go. The accident occurred during the pilot's first solo in the Mustang.

• 19 July: A 1952 Beech C-45H (Model 18), N9562Z, owned by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), crashed in rural Boulder County, Colorado, USA, after clipping some trees and hitting a pole, apparently after losing an engine during a training mission. Both occupants escaped with only moderate injuries. The aircraft was mostly destroyed by a post-crash fire. [Preliminary NTSB report] [Final NTSB Report]

• 22 July: A North American T-6G Texan, N22NA, suffered engine problems enroute to the EAA AirVenture event and made a successful forced-landing on a highway in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, USA. The pilot, airshow performer Bill Leff, was scheduled to perform at the event. Neither Leff, nor his son, who was a passenger, were hurt. The aircraft's right wing was slightly damaged by a road sign.

• 26 July: The tailwheel assembly of a Cessna O-1/L-19 Birddog, N919BD, broke during a landing in Chino, California, USA. The sole occupant was not injured and the plane suffered only minor damage.

• 27 July: Noted warbird rebuilder Gerry Beck was killed when two North American P-51 Mustangs (actually one D-model and Beck's replica A-model) collided while landing at the AirVenture event in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, USA. The two aircraft had just completed a race demonstration and were touching down when they collided. Beck's hand-built P-51A, "Precious Metal" (NX8082U) ended up on its back, while the P-51D, "Stang" (N151RJ), flown by Casey Odegaard, came to rest on its nose. Odegaard escaped with minor injuries.

• 29 July: A Grumman J2F-4 Duck, N63850, owned by Chuck and Beverly Greenhill, won the National Aviation Hall of Fame's People's Choice Award at EAA AirVenture, besting four other immaculate aircraft, each of which had to win previous high-level aircraft competitions just to be contenders in this competition.

• 31 July: A DeHavilland DHC-1 Chipmunk, N2EA, lost engine power and struck powerlines while attempting a forced landing near Olympia, Washington, USA. The aircraft came to rest on a road. The pilot and passenger suffered only cuts and scrapes.

August 2007:

• 2 August: The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has confirmed initial suspicions that the two P-51 Mustangs involved in the runway collision at the AirVenture Oshkosh event (see 27 July 2007 entry) were not in formation. Rather, they were making separate approaches, and were apparently not aware of each other's presence until the collision occurred.

• 3 August: Vin Thomas, who sold his 1946 Commonwealth Wirraway on eBay and then backed out of the sale because he had sold the aircraft to another person for a higher amount (see 3 October 2006 entry) has been ordered by an Australian court to hand over the aircraft to the original eBay buyer, Peter Smythe.

• 12 August: A 1955 North American T-28B Trojan, operated by the Indiana Aviation Museum, over-ran the runway and went into a creek during landing at Joliet, Illinois. Neither the pilot nor passenger were injured. The airplane is reported to be repairable.

• 16 August: The UK's Civil Aviation Authority has released at Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) that hints of the possibility of a test flight of Avro Vulcan XH558 at Bruntingthorpe Aerodrome sometime in late August or early September. XH558 will be the first Vulcan to fly since 1992, when it was displayed by the RAF Vulcan Display Flight.

• 20 August: The buried aircraft parts found near Watsonville, California (See 3 July 2007 entry) have been revealed to be the crash site of a Douglas SBD-5 Dauntless which crashed in January 1944 during a night training mission from its base at Crow's Landing Naval Air Facility. Remains of the crew have been located along with several personal artifacts.

• 31 August: Six women who labored building bombers during WWII got a chance to fly in a B-17 Flying Fortress and a B-24 Liberator bomber, as a tribute to their war efforts. The aircraft, operated by the Collings Foundation, appeared at the American Airpower Museum at Republic Airport in Farmingdale, New York, USA. 

September 2007:

• 1 September: A Boeing A75N1 (PT-17) Stearman, N65PG, flipped over after veering left during takeoff at Edmond, Oklahoma, USA. The pilot was not hurt.

• 2 September: A pair of North American SNJ-2s, registered N62382 and N52033, collided on the ground while taxiing at Farmingdale, New York, USA. The aircraft were operated by the SkyTypers aerial demonstration team.

• 3 September: A Yakovlev Yak-52, N212YA, crashed after takeoff from the Lake-In-The-Hills airport in Crystal Lake, Illinois, USA, after an apparent loss of engine power. Pilots David Burdine and Steven Hildebrand were killed. Burdine was known in the airshow community for his excellent MiG-17 flying display.

• 3 September: A Meyers OTW-145, N34321, suffered an engine failure and force-landed in a field near Annville, Pennsylvania, USA. Neither occupant reported injuries.

• 7 September: Jan Wildbergh, the #6 pilot for the Geico SkyTypers aerial demonstration team, was killed in the crash of his North American SNJ-2, N52033, during an airshow practice session at NAS Oceana, Virginia, USA. The accident occurred as the team was pitching out to land. The accident aircraft appeared to continue straight ahead instead of "breaking" to the downwind leg; it then impacted the ground.

• Wings magazine and Airpower magazine, which have been published since 1971, have ceased operations. The publisher cites small subscriber lists and increasing financial pressure as the reason for the demise of the magazines. (More information here). Back issues and CD-ROMs of the magazines are available.

• 10 September: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other groups have expressed concern about keeping the approval and documentation processes viable for older aircraft. A new website, ClassicAircraft.com, has been created in order to facilitate "grass-roots" discussions on how to support aging aircraft in the USA.

• 13 September: A 1943 deHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth suffered an engine failure and landed on a busy, traffic-filled road in Johannesburg, South Africa. Two people were killed: a passenger in the airplane and the driver of a bus. At least 23 people on the bus were injured. The pilot was also injured, not only by the crash, but allegedly by bystanders who kicked him while he was still strapped in the cockpit.

• 13 September: Air race pilot Brad Morehouse was killed in the crash of his Aero Vodochody L-39 Albatros, N139DK (Race #4), during the second heat of the jet class races at the National Championship Air Races at Reno, Nevada, USA. It appeared the aircraft may have been caught in the wake of a preceding aircraft.

• 14 September: A deHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth (G-ANDE), operated by Delta Aviation, made an emergency landing in a hayfield near Crowhurst, Surrey, UK, after experiencing engine troubles. One of the two occupants suffered a broken leg.

• 15 September: Display pilot Brian Brown was killed when his Hawker Hurricane XII, BD707 (G-HURR), crashed near Shoreham Airport in West Sussex, UK while participating in a mock aerial battle involving Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerschmitts at the Shoreham Airshow.

• 17 September: Owners and operators of vintage or rare aircraft in the USA are urged to comment on an FAA draft order which might result in changes to how "abandoned" and "orphaned" type certificates are handled by the agency. More information is available here. (This is a MS Word™ document.)

• 19 September: Warbird industry groups, after months of hard work, have announced that the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has agreed to issue waivers to the 300- and 600-nautical mile operating radii previously issued to piston and jet warbird owners. (Note: The change is not "automatic"; owners must file paperwork to get the limitation removed. For more information, please visit the Warbirds of America site.)

• 22 September: A 1943 North American SNJ-5, N11HP, went off the side of the runway and ground-looped at Bloomington, Illinois, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 22 September: Josephine "Fifi" O'Connor Agather, the namesake of the world's last remaining airworthy Boeing B-29 Superfortress (the Commemorative Air Force's "Fifi"), has passed away. She was 88. 

• 23 September: A 1944 Boeing E75 Stearman, N2533, flipped over on landing at Culpepper, Virginia, USA. No injured were reported.

• 26 September: After a piston blew on its #2 engine, the Commemorative Air Force's North American PBJ-1J (B-25J) Mitchell, "Devil Dog," has been grounded while funds are raised for repairs. [Media coverage here.] The CAF squadron that operates the airplane will hold a fund-raiser hangar dance on 20 October 2007.

• 28 September: Nearly 100 North American P-51 Mustangs, as well as many other WWII-era warbirds, congregated in Columbus, Ohio, USA, along with numerous WWII pilots and crew members. The Gathering of Mustangs and Legends event is believed to have been the largest get-together of the type since the war.

October 2007:

• 18 October: The Vulcan to the Sky Trust is pleased to announce the first flight of their famous Avro Vulcan bomber, XH558 (G-VLCN), after 14 years of restoration, intensive fund-raising, and hard effort by many people. XH558, piloted by Al McDicken and Dave Thomas, flew a 40-minute test flight from Bruntingthorpe, Leicestershire. It is the world's only flying Vulcan. The Vulcan Operating Company (TVOC) team will complete a thorough analysis of the airplane, then begin displaying her distinctive looks (and sound) throughout Europe in 2008. Congratulations to the entire TVOC team, trustees, and contributors! [More information here, and BBC news video of the event here.]

• 18 October: A 1949 North American T-6G Texan, N9067Z (s/n 49-3001), pitched forward during landing at Longview, Texas, USA, and damaged the propeller. The pilot was not injured.

• 20 October: A 1942 Ryan ST3K, N780SR, force-landed in a hay field near Unadilla, Georgia, USA after its propeller came apart. Neither the pilot nor passenger were injured.

• 23 October: Pilot Doug Jenkins managed to skillfully put his 1943 Taylorcraft L-2 "Grasshopper" down in a mall parking lot in Naples, Florida, USA, after suffering engine problems. The airplane and two cars were damaged in the incident, but neither Jenkins nor his passenger were injured.

• 31 October: David Tallichet, a WWII B-17 combat veteran and one of the world's most prolific warbird collectors, passed away at the age of 84 in Orange, California, USA. Tallichet was known as one of the "fathers of the warbird movement," thanks to his foresight and tenacity in recovering, acquiring and/or protecting military aircraft all over the world. He once owned approximately 120 vintage aircraft, although about half of his collection had gradually been sold over the past few years. 

November 2007:

• 5 November: The wreckage of a Lockheed P-38 Lightning has been found on a beach near Harlech, Wales, where it has lain for over 60 years. Recent low tides and surf action have uncovered part of the wreck. Authorities have not yet made a decision about if (or how) the aircraft will be recovered.

• 10 November: A British Aerospace FA/2 Sea Harrier, N94422 (XZ439), has become the first Harrier to fly in the civilian warbird community. Owner Art Nalls successfully flew the aircraft twice from the St. Mary's County Airport, Maryland, USA. During the second flight the aircraft suffered a hydraulic failure, and during landing at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station, an outrigger collapsed and the plane settled onto its side. Damage was minor and the plane is expected to fly again soon. Nalls plans to eventually display the aircraft at airshows in the USA. [More information]

December 2007:

• 2 December: The Bournemouth Aviation Museum in Christchurch, Dorset, UK has announced it will be forced to close on 16 December due to airport re-development plans. The BAM is noted for its flying displays of airworthy aircraft, as well as a wide and unusual selection of aircraft. A grassroots effort is underway to either allow the museum to remain in its present facility or locate a new one.

• 5 December: A legendary U.S. airshow team, the Red Baron Pizza Squadron, has been retired by its sponsoring company. The formation aerobatic team, which gave over 2,000 performances over the past 28 years, flew Boeing P-17 Stearman biplanes. [Press release]

• 6 December: Prolific vintage aircraft collector, restorer, and noted warbird pilot Colin Pay died in an aircraft crash at Lake Liddell, NSW, Australia. The aircraft was reported to be an Air Tractor, used in agricultural / fire bomber roles.

• 21 December: A turboprop Douglas/Basler DC-3 owned by Ken Borek Air Ltd., crashed on takeoff near Mt. Patterson, Antarctica. All 10 people on board survived. The passengers included six members of the Polar Earth Observatory Network (POLENET), an organization that deploys GPS and seismic sensors across Antarctica.

January 2008:

• 21 January: The Texas-based Cavanaugh Flight Museum has announced that it will sponsor the Commemorative Air Force's Boeing B-29 Superfortress named "Fifi." The $1.2 million sponsorship will make it possible for the famous aircraft to receive new engines and remain airworthy.

• 23 January: The pilot of a Boeing PT-13 Stearman that was involved in a fatal crash in August 2004 (see news item) has plead "no contest" to negligent operation of a vehicle. He faces up to nine months in jail.

February 2008:

• 15 February: The 2008 Arizona Skyfest airshow has been canceled due to liability concerns arising from the threat of a lawsuit following the October 2006 crash of a Piper Cheyenne that was flying in formation with a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter. Among the four individuals lost in the Piper were the executive director and the operations director of the event. The families of several of the crash victims are the plaintiffs in the suit. The Prescott Air Fair Association, which runs the event, was named in the suit as being partly to blame for the crash. Also named as a defendant was the pilot of the MiG-21.

• 16 February: The owner of a famous Piper L-4 Grasshopper (G-KIRK), named "Liberty Girl," ditched the airplane in the ocean off Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, after the plane suffered an engine failure. Owner/pilot Maurice Kirk was rescued from the floating wreckage of the airplane by a US Coast Guard helicopter. Liberty Girl was damaged in Japan in 2005 during an around-the-world flight attempt.

• 22 February: Lex Cralley, the owner of a Brewster F3A-1 Corsair recovered from a swamp in North Carolina, has placed the aircraft up for sale or trade. See Barnstormers.com.

March 2008:

• 20 March: The crew of a Douglas DC-3/C-47, N138SF, reported a blown tire on landing, then the aircraft groundlooped into the grass next to the runway in San Juan, Puerto Rico. No injuries or serious damage were reported.

• 21 March: Digital content laws in the United States and elsewhere are causing trouble for aviation artists and illustrators whose work allegedly infringes on copyright and trademark law. An example recently came to light when 3D illustrator John Macneill's digital model of a Consolidated B-24 Liberator was removed from an online database by a legal order from the Lockheed Martin corporation. [More information here.]

• 22 March: Paul Allen's Messerschmitt Bf-109E has flown at Everett, Washington, USA after its restoration. The pilot for the test flight was Steve Hinton. The aircraft will be a flying member of Allen's Flying Heritage Collection.

• 25 March: A Yakovlev Yak-18T, N221YK, suffered a collapse of its left main landing gear while taxiing onto the runway for takeoff at Sacramento, California, USA.

April 2008:

•  7 April: A PZL/WSK TS-11 Iskra jet, N501SH, made a successful gear-up forced landing on a road after losing its engine near Okeechobee, Florida, USA. No injuries were reported.

• 8 April: A rare flyover by vintage warbirds is scheduled for April 10, 2008 over Washington DC, in commemoration of the thousands of U.S. airmen who lost their lives in combat. Boeing, the sponsor of the event, has announced that the flyby of the Pentagon will include a B-17, P-51, P-40 and a Spitfire. The event is being organized and run by the American Air Museum (AAM) based at Duxford, England.

• 9 April: A tornado touched down at the Stevens County Airport in Breckenridge, Texas, USA, doing heavy damage to numerous aircraft and hangars, including some at the facility of noted warbird restorer Nelson Ezell. At least three warbirds, an Aeronca L-3, Lockheed P-38 Lightning, and Grumman F4F Wildcat, were damaged to varying degrees. [Aerial news videos here.]

• 14 April: A Boeing E75N Stearman, N3840K, crashed and was substantially damaged under unknown circumstances near Youngstown, Ohio, USA. Neither occupant was seriously injured. This same aircraft was substantially damaged almost exactly one year ago during a landing accident.

• A 1945 Goodyear FG-1 Corsair, N96RL (c/n 3769), operated by the Fighter Factory of Virginia Beach, Virginia, ground-looped on landing, collapsing the landing gear. Damage was considered "minor."

• 22 April: A 1948 Hawker Sea Fury T.Mk20, N51SF (c/n ES3613), operated by the Cavanaugh Flight Museum, suffered the collapse of its landing gear during landing at Addison, Texas, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

• 26 April: During an airshow at the Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas, USA,  a Supermarine Spitfire LFXVIe (N97RW / TE392) taxied into the tail of the museum's recently restored Hawker Hurricane (N96RW / CCF-96), heavily damaging both aircraft. Neither pilot was injured.

May 2008:

• 2 May: A Yakovlev Yak-52, N62813, crashed shortly after takeoff from a private airport near Vancouver, Washington. Both the pilot and passenger were killed.

• 5 May: Owner/pilot John Zayac survived the crash of his North American SNJ-5, N12KY (Race #12, "Thumper") after a rough forced landing in a remote area of Eagle County, Colorado, USA, about 85 miles west of Denver. (See photo below). Zayac is the president of the T-6 Racing Association and was flying his airplane to Reno to sell it at the time of the accident. The same aircraft and pilot were involved in a successful off-airport landing in 2000.

Photo courtesy of Eagle County Sheriff's Department
 

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