Forgotten Fields of America: World War
II Bases and Training, Then and Now -- Volume 2
By Lou Thole
Published February 2000 by Pictorial Histories Publishing Co.
Paperback, 164 pages.
An interesting summary of 12 wartime-era
military bases and the intense aircraft flight training conducted at them. Includes over 200
"then-and-now" photos, and an extensive appendix listing the locations of nearly
700 locations throughout the world in WWII.
Warbird Alley's Warbird News
Here's the
latest news from the warbird aircraft community.
We update this page regularly. Items
are moved to the
News Archive after approximately fourteen months.
Today's Date:
[Click the newspaper to jump to the latest news.]
1 March: A
Bell AH-1 Cobra helicopter, N197LE, crashed in the desert near
Coolidge, Arizona, USA, while filming an episode of the Top Gear
Korea TV program. Neither crewmember was injured, but the aircraft
was substantially damaged. [Video
of the accident>>]
2 March: A turboprop-powered
1983
SIAI-Marchetti SF-260TP, N350TP, was substantially damaged after
landing at Corona, California, USA, after which it struck a vehicle, another
aircraft, and some buildings. The pilot was not injured.
6 March: An
IAI
F-21A Kfir jet, N404AX, operated by Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC)
crashed at NAS Fallon, Nevada, USA, killing the civilian
contract pilot, Capt. Carrol LeFon (USN Ret). [Local media report >>]
10 March: A 1959
North
American SNJ-5, N3246G, operated by the Commemorative Air Force,
ground-looped on landing at Mesa, Arizona, USA. The pilot was not
injured.
12 March: A
Beechcraft T-34B (D45) Mentor,
N8662E, experienced a collapsed landing gear upon landing in Okeechobee,
Florida, USA. Neither
the pilot nor the passenger were injured.
20 March: A 1951
North American T-6G Texan, N791MH,
operated by the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, was struck by a truck while taxiing
at Bessemer, Louisiana, USA. The pilot was not injured.
22 March: A
Douglas C-54G Skymaster, N406WA
(c/n 35944), suffered the collapse of its nose landing gear while
taxiing in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Neither crewmember was injured.
23 March: A 1978
Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros,
N138EM, operated by the Black Diamond Jet Team, landed gear-up at Punta
Gorda, Florida, USA, after an airshow performance. The aircraft suffered
moderate damage, but the pilot was not injured.
26 March: A 1958
Pilatus P-3, N821LT (A-821),
suffered the collapse of its nose gear upon landing in Ardmore,
Oklahoma, USA. The pilot and passenger were not injured.
27 March: A 1969
Bell OH-58 Kiowa helicopter, N452MC, made an emergency landing near
Liberty, Mississippi, USA after the aircraft began to smoke. Shortly
after the landing, the helicopter was destroyed by fire. The pilot
escaped injury.
30 March: An
Arado-Flugzeugwerke GmbH FW190-A5
replica, N190DK, veered off the runway upon landing at Casa Grande,
Arizona, USA. The aircraft's left landing gear collapsed, but the pilot
was not injured.
1 April: A
Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21UM Mongol-B,
N1165, went off the runway and into the grass during its landing roll at
Wilmington, Delaware, USA. No injuries were reported.
4 April: Well-known warbird
owner, race pilot and airshow pilot Howard Pardue was killed in the
crash of his 1945 Grumman F8F Bearcat,
N14HP, in Breckenridge, Texas, USA. Witnesses reported the pilot
appeared to be attempting a Half Cuban-Eight maneuver immediately after
takeoff, but the maneuver apparently went wrong, and the aircraft struck
the ground in a high rate of descent. Pardue
was a fixture at the National Air Races at Reno for many years, as well
as an accomplished airshow performer. [Preliminary
accident report >>]
5 April: A
de Havilland DH.110 Sea Vixen
FAW.2, G-CVIX (XP924), suffered the collapse of its nose landing gear
upon landing at Bournemouth, Dorset, UK, following a test flight. The
pilot was not injured, and damage to the aircraft was believed to be
minor.
10 April:
Good News for the Reno Air Races: The
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has made some safety recommendations
that will allow the National Championship Air Races to be held, in
substantially the same form as in the past. Among the changes
recommended are slight modifications to the race course and requiring
heavily-modified race aircraft to be previously test-flown at race
speeds before participating in the race. [More information >>]
14 April: Twenty
Supermarine Spitfire aircraft
that were buried 40 feet underground in Burma just before the end of
WWII have been located and will be repatriated to the UK soon, according
to an article in the Telegraph. It is thought the aircraft are in
very good condition. [Read
the article>>]
17-20 April: The annual
Doolittle Raiders Reunion was held at Wright-Patterson AFB in Dayton,
Ohio, USA to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the famous and
audacious B-25 raid on Tokyo. This event featured not only the largest
gathering of B-25 Mitchell bombers since WWII (20 aircraft in
attendance), but also four of the five surviving crewmembers from the
raid. A mass flyover of B-25s was also performed. [Event
information >>]
Photo Copyright 2012 by Francois Bergeon.
Used with permission. (Click for larger version.)
18 April:
Another legislative threat to warbirds: A
proposed amendment to a House bill (H.R. 4310) would effectively stop
the US Department of Defense from providing aircraft, or even spare
parts, to civilian individuals or organizations, if those aircraft or
parts are destined to be part of an airworthy aircraft. Please see our
Threats to Warbirds page for more information.
28 April: A
Yakovlev Yak-52, registered
RA-3585K, crashed into a lake near Langford, Essex, UK, after failing to
recover from a spin. Both the instructor pilot and his passenger were
killed. [AAIB
accident report>>]
May 2012:
3 May: A
Supermarine TR.9 Spitfire, MJ772,
performed a wheels-up landing in Bremgarten, Germany. The aircraft had
been recently restored, and the pilot elected to perform the belly
landing after one of the main gear would not extend.
6 May: A 1950
North American T-6G Texan, N1284
(c/n 168/448), was slightly damaged after running off the end of the
runway upon landing at Bayou La Batre, Louisiana, USA. The pilot was not
injured.
6 May: A 1946
Piper L-4 / J-3 Grasshopper was
heavily damaged after the pilot lost control during takeoff, and the
plane struck a stand of trees at his private airfield in Westhampton,
Massachusetts, USA. The pilot suffered only minor injuries.
6 May: A 1950
North American T-28A Trojan,
VH-VBT (s/n 50-221), suffered the collapse of its nose landing gear just
as it began taxiing at Toowoomba, Australia. Neither the pilot nor his
passenger were injured. [News
article and photo>>]
11 May: A
Boeing PT-17/A75N Stearman,
N71327 (c/n 75-756), departed the runway during its landing roll and
struck a tree in Weirsdale, Florida, USA. Neither occupant was injured.
13 May: A 1943
North American T-6D Texan, N299CM
(s/n 49-2912), went off the runway after landing at Anchorage, Alaska,
USA, and struck runway lights. No damage to the aircraft was reported.
18 May: A
single-seat
Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, N321AX, operated by the
Airborne Tactical Advantage Company (ATAC) under government contract,
crashed in a field three miles from Pt. Mugu Naval Air Station, near
Camarillo, California, USA. The civilian pilot was killed. The pilot had
reportedly completed a mission and was returning to base as part of a
"flight of two" when the accident
occurred. The other aircraft landed safely.
18 May: A 1981 Aero
Vodochody L-39 Albatros, N39WT, crashed shortly after takeoff from Boulder City, Nevada, USA. Witnesses
reported the aircraft appeared to lose power shortly after takeoff. Noted
warbird instructor Doug Gilliss and a passenger were killed when the
aircraft "pancaked" in the desert near the airport.
18 May: The Collings
Foundation announced the debut of its replica
Messerschmitt Me262 jet fighter
("White 1") at Moffett Field, California, USA. The foundation
hopes to offer educational flights in the aircraft later this fall.
19 May: A 1967
Hughes TH-55 Osage helicopter, N74914 (c/n 67-15442), rolled onto
its side after landing at Pittsfield, Pennsylvania, USA. The pilot was
not injured.
22 May: The Reno Air Racing
Association (RARA) has announced they will ask the Federal Aviation
Administration for permission to modify the Reno Unlimited Class race course by softening
some of the turns and moving the course farther away from spectators.
The changes were based on the recommendations of an independent review
panel that was tasked with developing safety improvements at the annual
event, following last September's tragic crash. The organization also
announced that they have secured $100 million in insurance for the
event. [News
article>>]
22 May: The US Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) has called for a public meeting next
month to address the issue of rides being given in non-Standard Category
aircraft (warbirds). The FAA's current policy, called the "Living
History Flight Experience (LHFE)" exemption, allows operators to
sell rides in aircraft such as the B-17 and B-24 which were manufactured
before 1947. Other operators of vintage jets, and warbirds built after
1947, have applied for exemptions under the LHFE rules, and the FAA has
called for this meeting to discuss the expansion of the policy. The
meeting will be held in Washington DC on 26-28 June 2012. A public
comment period is now open. For more information, see our
Threats page.
26 May:
Consolidated B-24A/LB-30 Liberator
N24927 (s/n
40-2366, "Diamond Lil") suffered the collapse of
its nose landing gear during the landing roll at Charlotte, North
Carolina, USA, after the crew spent nearly an hour dealing with a
landing gear/hydraulic system malfunction. None of the 16 people on
board was injured, and the aircraft is expected to be repaired quickly.
27 May: Prolific aircraft
collector Merle Maine has announced that he is selling his collection,
based in Ontario, Oregon, USA. The collection includes numerous types,
including an F-104 Starfighter, F-86 Sabre, A-4 Skyhawk, L-39 Albatros,
T-33 Shooting Star, MiG-21, MiG-23, deHavilland Vampire, two Grumman S-2
Trackers, and more. [Trade-A-Plane
listing>>]
28 May: A 1949
North American SNJ/T-6G Texan,
N3753G (c/n 493177), crashed shortly after takeoff from a private airfield near
Byron, Michigan, USA. The pilot's wife, who was a passenger,
was killed after the plane struck a nearby barn. The aircraft was
destroyed. [Local
news coverage>>]
30 May: A 1949
Hawker T Mk.20 Sea Fury,
N71GB, (c/n 37525, "Sawbones"),
suffered the collapse of its landing gear on landing rollout in
Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. Minor damage was reported.
30 May: The Chino,
California-based Planes of Fame Air Museum announced that the
Boeing B-17E Flying Fortress known
as "Swamp Ghost" (s/n 41-2446) will be moving to the Pacific Air
Museum in Hawaii. [Swamp
Ghost's home page>>]
June 2012:
2 June: A
Heinkel He-115 seaplane torpedo-bomber was raised from the water of
a fjord near Sola, Norway after resting at the bottom for over 70 years.
[Photo
gallery>>] [Slideshow>>]
3 June: A 1955
Lockheed P2V Neptune aerial tanker
(N41447, s/n 135587, "Tanker 11"), operated by Neptune Aviation,
crashed during an air assault on a forest fire near the Nevada/Utah border.
Both crewmembers were killed. [News
report>>]
3 June: Another
Lockheed SP2H Neptune firebomber,
this one registered N355MA ("Tanker 55") made an emergency
landing at Minden, Nevada, USA, after the pilots could not extend the
left main landing gear. The aircraft suffered minor damage, but the crew
was not injured.
3 June: A rare
Fairey Firefly AS Mk.VI N518WB
(Ex-WB-518) suffered an apparent failure of its landing gear during its
landing roll at an airshow at El Cajon, California, USA. The aircraft
came to rest in the dirt alongside the runway. The pilot was not
injured, and the aircraft is believed to be repairable.
6 June: The EAA's
B-17 Flying Fortress, Aluminum
Overcast, was slightly damaged by an unexpected hailstorm in Denver,
Colorado, USA. The hail damaged the aircraft's fabric flight-control
surfaces, but thanks to the hard work of some volunteers, the parts were
replaced within a few days. [Story
and photos>>]
8 June: A 1942
Ryan PT-22/ST3KR, N721R (c/n
1840), went off the runway and into a ditch after landing at Norwalk,
Ohio, USA. Neither the pilot nor the passenger were injured, but the
aircraft was substantially damaged.
10 June: A 1964
Hispano HA-200 Saeta jet, N632HA
(c/n E.14A-32), lost its left wingtip tank while
in flight. The aircraft landed at Everett, Washington, USA without
further difficulties.
11 June: A
North American SNJ-4/AT-6C Texan,
N7055K (c/n 50-709E), landed in a field and flipped over near Delmar,
Delaware, USA. The pilot was not injured.
14 June: A 1985
Yakovlev Yak-52, N76YK (c/n
855706), suffered the collapse of its nose landing gear on landing at
Fort Collins, Colorado, USA. No injuries were reported.
15 June: A
Canadair CT-133/T-33 Silver Star
Mk.3, C-FUPM (s/n 133346), operated by the Jet Aircraft Museum,
landed short of the runway in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The jet's left
landing gear was sheared off, and the aircraft came to rest off the side
of the runway in the grass. Neither the pilot nor the passenger were
injured.
18 June: A 1941
Boeing A75 Stearman, N59334 (c/n
75-1606), went off the side of the runway and ground-looped
during landing at Glencoe, Minnesota, USA. The pilot was not injured.
23 June: A 1940
de Havilland DH-82 Tiger Moth,
N523R (formerly G-ANEI, c/n 82960) made an emergency landing in a field
in Fontana, California, USA. The aircraft came to rest inverted and
suffered substantial damage. There were no reported injuries to either
the pilot or passenger.
26 June: A 1941
Boeing B75N Stearman, N50082 (c/n
75-1037), flipped over on landing near Fredericksburg, Texas,
USA. The pilot was not injured, but the plane was substantially damaged.
26 June: A 1963
Bell UH-1F Iroquois helicopter, N4582D (c/n 63-13163), came in
contact with power lines during sling load operations, and one member of
the crew was seriously injured. The incident happened near Concrete,
Washington, USA.
30 June: An
Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros jet
(ZU-HIT) crashed during a formation aerobatic performance at the
Klerksdorp Airshow in South Africa. The aircraft appeared to perform a
loaded (high-G) roll during a low-altitude pullout from a split-S maneuver. The
pilot was killed.
July 2012:
10 July: A
North American-Rockwell OV-10 Bronco,
G-BZGK, operated by the civilian Bronco Demo Team, crashed at Cotswold
Airport, Gloucestershire, UK, during a flight demonstration practice.
The pilot suffered significant injuries, but is expected to survive.
12 July: A
Mikoyan-Gurevich
MiG-21MF Fishbed, N9307, rolled off the end of the runway after
landing in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, USA and suffering the failure of its
braking parachute. The aircraft went through a
fence and came to rest on a nearby road with at least one of its landing
gear collapsed or sheared off. The aircraft was substantially damaged,
but the pilot was not injured.
15 July: A 1982
IAR 825
Triumpf, N825BA, crashed in a corn field near Peru, Illinois, USA,
after losing power while on approach to land. The pilot was not injured,
but the aircraft was substantially damaged. This aircraft is the only
prototype of a turbine-powered version of the better-known Romanian
trainer, the IAR-823.
22 July: A 1959
Dornier Do27, N780AX (c/n 391), was substantially damaged after
crashing near Jackson, Wyoming, USA. Neither the pilot nor the passenger
were injured.
26 July: A 1971
Bell OH-58C Kiowa helicopter, N8092J (s/n 70-15363) was damaged
after a rotor blade struck a powerline near Waukon, Iowa, USA.
28 July: A 1973
Nanchang CJ-6A, N96YK (c/n
1232007), crashed on approach to an airfield near Walsenburg, Colorado,
USA, killing the pilot and his son.
30 July: Florida-based
Draken International has won a bid to buy nine
Aermacchi MB-339 advanced fighter trainers from the government of
New Zealand. These aircraft, in addition to the company's previous
acquisitions of eight Douglas A-4
Skyhawk fighter/attack aircraft, 29
MiG-21UM and MiG-21BIS Fishbed/Mongol
supersonic fighters, and five L-39
Albatros fighter/trainers, make Draken the largest fleet of
privately-owned tactical jet aircraft in the world. The aircraft are to
be used for government contract work. Draken's CEO is also the owner of
(and a pilot with) the popular Black Diamonds Jet Team. [Draken
International website]
August 2012:
4 August: Noted airshow
performer Kent Pietsch was injured in the crash of his 1942
Interstate S-1 / L-6 Cadet, N37428, in Wetaskiwin, Alberta, Canada.
The incident happened after the airshow, as Pietsch was flying at low
altitude while searching for the foam aileron he routinely drops as a
part of his airshow act. He reportedly lost power and could not reach the
runway.
4 August: A
Piaggio/Focke-Wulf P.149D, D-EGIT,
was substantially damaged after losing engine power and hitting a barn
during a forced landing near Hollandscheveld, Netherlands. Both
occupants of the airplane and an occupant of the building were injured.
9 August: The first U.S.
flight of a restored
Ilyushin IL-2 Shturmovik has taken place at Paine Field in
Everett, Washington, USA. Noted warbird pilot Steve Hinton took the
aircraft on its shakedown flight for its new owner, the Flying Heritage
Collection. The aircraft was rebuilt from parts of no fewer than four
IL-2 wrecks recovered during the past 20 years in Russia.
12 August: A
deHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth, G-AHLT,
crashed in a field near Maeshafn, North Wales, UK, after it hit trees
while the pilot was attempting to land on a short, sloping pasture. The
pilot was not injured, but the airplane was substantially damaged.
12 August: Another
deHaviland DH-82 Tiger Moth, G-ANFV,
suffered substantial damage after a forced landing near Duffas,
Scotland.
18 August: A 1943
Boeing B75N Stearman, N47964,
ground-looped upon landing in Mesa, Arizona, USA. The pilot was not
injured, and only minor damage to the airplane was reported.
18 August: A 1940
Fleet
16B Finch biplane, N343SF (c/n 343), flipped over on landing at
Bayport, New York, USA. The plane was substantially damaged. Neither the
pilot nor passenger were injured.
22 August: The Coulson Group
of British Columbia, Canada has announced that one of the only two
remaining
Martin JRM Mars seaplane firebombers, C-FLYK ("Philippine Mars"),
will go on permanent display at the National Naval Aviation in
Pensacola, Florida, USA. The huge transport aircraft is being repainted
in its original navy blue paint scheme, and readied for one last flight.
[News
article>>]
22 August: The National
Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has publicly released 45 documents
related to their investigation of the fatal P-51 race crash in
Reno in 2011. The documents include various technical analysis papers, flight
recorder data, witness photos, and more. [NTSB
Docket 51746 >>]
31 August: A 1944
North American T-6F Texan, N244GR
(c/n 121-42642), ground-looped on takeoff at
Council Bluffs, Iowa, USA. Neither the pilot nor the passenger were
injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.
September 2012:
1 September: A 1984
Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros,
N139GS, crashed during a formation airshow performance at Davenport,
Iowa, USA. Owner/pilot Glenn Smith was killed. [Editor's note: This
is one of those times when reporting the news on this page is
particularly difficult. Glenn was a good friend of ours and a respected aviator in the
warbird community. Our sincere condolences to Glenn's family, friends,
and fellow "Hoppers." He will be sorely missed.]
1 September: A
Cessna L-19E Birddog, N4431F,
ground-looped upon landing in Dallas, Texas, USA, collapsing the landing
gear. The pilot was not injured.
2 September: A 1952
Douglas AD-1N Skyraider, N965AD,
struck a sign during a takeoff from Everett, Washington, USA. Damage to
the aircraft is unknown.
7 September: Famed pilot,
racer, and vintage aircraft restorer Bob Odegaard was killed in the
crash of a 1945
Goodyear F2G Super Corsair, N5577N (c/n 6172, Race
#74), in Valley City, North Dakota, USA. He was reportedly
performing a barrel roll during a practice flight for the following
day's airshow when the accident occurred. [Editor's note: It's
another tough weekend for the warbird community. Bob will be greatly
missed -- our condolences to the numerous people Bob influenced over the
years.]
8 September: A 1943
Beechcraft C-45 ended up in a
ditch at a private airfield in Suffolk, Virginia, USA, after its brakes
failed during a maintenance check. The pilot was not injured.
11 September: A 1951
Hawker FB.11 Sea Fury, N4434P ("Furias"),
suffered the collapse of its right main landing gear on landing at Reno,
Nevada, USA, during the National Championship Air Races. Pilot Matt
Jackson was not injured.
13 September: A 1942
Fairchild PT-19A Cornell, N19GP,
crashed while making a low approach at Cape Girardeau, Missouri, USA.
The pilot and his passenger, a reporter for a local newspaper, were not
seriously injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.
15 September: An
Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros, ES-YLS
(c/n 691881), operated by the Breitling Jet
Team, crashed in a field near Valkenswaard,
Netherlands after engine problems during a ferry flight. Both
the pilot and his passenger (a team mechanic) ejected successfully. The aircraft was destroyed.
16 September: A
Yakovlev Yak-52, N2207X, crashed
near Huntsville, Alabama, USA, killing the owner/pilot and a
passenger. Circumstances of the accident are not known, but the aircraft
was seen maneuvering during a fly-in event.
19 September: A
Boeing A75/PT-17 Stearman,
N4777V, ground-looped on landing in Lincoln, California, USA. Neither
occupant was injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.
30 September: A 1952
Hawker FB.11 Sea Fury, N878M ("Miss
Merced"), landed gear-up at Kenosha, Wisconsin, USA. The pilot was
not injured.
October 2012:
12 October: A 1955
Sikorsky S-55B/H-19 Chickasaw helicopter, N443FD (s/n 55-1046), made
a hard landing in a field near Yorktown, New York, USA, after suffering
a power loss. The aircraft rolled over on its side during the accident,
but neither occupant was injured. [Local
news, with photo>>]
29 October: A Mach 2+
Panavia Tornado F.3 fighter-bomber appeared for sale in several
aviation-industry publications. Though the aircraft is largely complete,
it is advertised in "museum display condition" rather than "airworthy"
condition. It is believed to be the only Tornado in private ownership in
the world. [See
the ad>>]
November 2012:
4 November: A
Yakovlev / Aerostar Yak-52W, N767RG
(c/n 0012208), force-landed in a field near
Arecibo, Puerto Rico. The sole occupant was not injured. Damage to the
aircraft is unknown.
5 November: A
Hawker Hunter, believed to be
operated by a government contractor, suffered the collapse of its
landing gear upon landing at Pt. Mugu Naval Air Warfare Center,
California, USA. The pilot was not injured.
10 November: A 1943
Boeing E75 Stearman, N1370V, was
involved in a mid-air collision with a Vans RV-12 while the aircraft
were flying in formation near Williamson, Georgia, USA. Both aircraft
landed safely. Damage to the Stearman's rudder was reported.
20 November: The US Federal
Aviation Administration (FAA) has revoked the pilot's certificate of
notorious pilot Dave Riggs, who was involved in a recent fatal accident
involving an L-39 jet that was
allegedly used in an illegal commercial "adventure ride" program. Among
his other accomplishments, Riggs also used an L-39 to "buzz" a Santa
Monica, California beach pier in 2008; organized an air race that was
grounded by the FAA for safety concerns; and was involved in another
fatal L-39 accident involving a movie production.
20 November: A 1941
Boeing A75 Stearman, N56226, lost
power after takeoff from an airfield near San Antonio, Texas, USA.
Neither the pilot nor passenger were injured, but the aircraft was
damaged after crashing into trees and a fence.
December 2012:
5 December: Aero Union
Corporation is auctioning off its remaining inventory of seven modified
Lockheed P-3A Orion airtanker aircraft. The auction also includes
engines, spare parts, maintenance gear, and MAFFS aerial firefighting
equipment. The aircraft have been active for many years, battling forest
fires for the U.S. Forest Service and the California Department of
Forestry. [Auction
information>>]
5 December: A
Douglas C-47TP Dakota, operated by
35 Squadron of the South African Air Force, crashed in the Drakensberg
mountain range in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, killing all 11 people on
board. Poor weather conditions were reported in the area. This aircraft
has been used as a support aircraft for the SAAF's
Silver Falcons
airshow display team, as well as in numerous other utility roles. [Commemorative
photo issued by the team>>]
5 December: Yet another WWII
aircraft has been recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan. This one,
a Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, crashed in
December 1944 while practicing carrier landings. It will eventually be
sent to the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola, Florida, for
restoration. The aircraft is currently available for public viewing in
Kenosha, Wisconsin. [EAA
news story>>]
8 December: A
North American T-28C Trojan,
N280JM (Bu.No. 140589), landed gear-up in a
field near Temple, Texas, USA. The pilot and passenger suffered minor
injuries.
13 December: A 1971
Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin, N29NR
(c/n 1941440, crashed into a field near Scurry, Texas, USA, killing both
the owner/pilot and the passenger. Circumstances of the accident are not
known, but it was reported that the passenger was receiving a ride that
he had won in an auction. [News
report>>]
January 2013:
7 January: A
Supermarine PR Mk. XIX Spitfire,
G-RRGN, suffered the collapse of its landing gear during landing at East
Midlands Airport, UK. The pilot was not injured. The aircraft, recently
restored for Rolls-Royce, is believed to be readily repairable. [BBC
news report>>]
15 January: Noted warbird
pilot, former Reno racer, and Airshow Competency Evaluator (ACE) Fred
Cabanas was killed in the crash of a non-warbird light plane near
Cozumel, Mexico. [Godspeed, Freddy. -Ed.]
19 January: A
Nanchang CJ-6A, N5616N (c/n
5632016), landed gear-up at Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA. The pilot
was not injured.
February 2013:
6 February: A 1966
Hispano HA-200 Saeta Jet,
N390WW, suffered the collapse of its landing gear during a landing at
North Las Vegas, Nevada, USA. The pilot was not injured and the aircraft
sustained only minor damage.
6 February: A
Hiller UH-12B/OH-23 helicopter, N5072R, made a hard landing at
Merritt Island, Florida, USA after a loss of power. One person was
injured.
6 February: In a surprise
move, the U.S. National Park Service ordered the immediate closure of
the delightful
Pearson Air
Museum, located on historic Fort Vancouver, Washington, USA. A press
release from the Trust which operated the museum said the closure was
the result of "an unresolved dispute with the National Parks Service
regarding park use policy." The local public is encouraged to contact
their Senators and Congressmen at the numbers listed in the museum's
press
release(.PDF document) to resolve the issue.
March 2013:
13 March: A group of
business leaders in Wichita, Kansas, USA has united to form "Doc's
Friends," a group dedicated to the restoration to flight status of
"Doc," a Boeing B-29 Superfortress
bomber. Doc spent 42 years on a bombing-range in China Lake, California,
and was rescued from an uncertain fate several years ago. [More
information>>]
26 March: A
Hughes OH-6 Cayuse helicopter, N910WC (s/n 67-16372) crashed near
Caddo, Texas, USA. A passenger was killed after the aircraft lost
control while hovering over a stock tank and then plunged into the
water. The pilot suffered only minor injuries.
16 April: A
deHaviland DH.82A Tiger Moth
(ZS-OSS, c/n 82982) crashed into the water in Mmabatho, South Africa
during a landing approach. Both occupants were killed.
19 April: A
Siai-Marchetti SF-260W, N224AP,
landed gear-up at San Rafael, California, USA. Neither the pilot nor his
passenger were injured.
20 April: A 1942
Boeing A75N1Stearman, N985SS (c/n
75-3431), force-landed in a vineyard near Santa Rosa, California. USA,
ending up inverted. The pilot was not injured.
24 April: A 1953
North American/CCF Harvard IV, C-FMWN
(c/n CCF4 267) suffered the loss of its left brake after landing in
Delta, British Columbia, Canada. The aircraft departed the side of the
runway and the left main landing gear collapsed. The aircraft came to
rest in a ditch. Neither occupant was injured, but the aircraft was
substantially damaged.
May 2013:
5 May: A
Hispano Aviacion HA-200D Saeta
jet, EC-DXR (c/n 20-56), crashed into a hangar during an airshow near
Madrid, Spain. The 34-year old pilot died at the hospital, and several
people at the scene were reported to be injured. The aircraft appeared
to perform a slow-speed wingover-type maneuver, and did not recover
before ground impact.
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