Warbird Alley's
Warbird News

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.

[ Jump to Latest Month ]
[ News Archive ]

Got News?
If you have warbird-related news, we want to hear from you!
Send items to:
editor@warbirdalley.com

[Back to Warbird Alley Main Index]

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, USA, 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

• 9 May: A Boeing Model 75 Stearman, N57950, ground-looped, departed the runway surface, and flipped over after landing at McKinney, Texas, USA. The sole occupant was not injured.

• 10 May: An Antonov An-2 Colt biplane crashed and burned in southeast Romania. One of the pilots was killed, and the other was injured.

• 17 May: A deHavilland DH-112 Venom jet, N21MJ, suffered an engine failure in the traffic pattern at Platte Valley Airport, Hudson, Colorado, USA, and force-landed in a nearby field. The plane caught fire and was substantially damaged, but the pilot escaped unhurt.

• 24 May: A 1949 North American T-28 Trojan, N228AF (c/n 49-1547), landed gear-up at Rogersville, Tennessee, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

• 24 May: A 1944 Stinson L-5E/Consolidated OY-1, N8071, ground-looped and was damaged at Belleville, Michigan, USA.

• 25 May: A Boeing A75N1 Stearman, N46996, lost power and crashed into the trees after takeoff from a grass strip near Romney, West Virginia, USA. The pilot and passenger suffered only minor injuries.

• 26 May: A Messerschmitt Bf-109G-10, "Black 2," operated by the EADS Historic Flight, suffered the collapse of its right main gear and ground-looped during the ILA Berlin Air Show, Germany. The airframe was relatively undamaged, but since the propeller struck the ground, the engine's condition is unknown. [Video here]

• 29 May: A rare Grumman J2F-6 Duck amphibian crashed on landing in Anchorage, Alaska, USA. Damage was reported as minor.

• 31 May: A 1948 Pilatus P-2, G-BLKZ, made a forced landing in a field near Grantham, Lincolnshire, UK, after an engine failure. The pilot suffered minor injuries and was hospitalized, and the passenger was unhurt. The airplane's landing gear collapsed during the incident, but even more damage was allegedly done later by a vandal, who apparently smashed the plane's instruments and canopy, and set fire to the aircraft's wings.  

June 2008:

• 2 June: The newly-restored "Flying Bulls" Lockheed P-38L Lightning, N25Y (Ser. No. 44-53254), has made its first post-restoration flight, at the hands of pilot Steve Hinton. The aircraft was formerly Lefty Gardner's "White Lightnin'." [Photos here]  

• 6 June: Microsoft's co-founder Paul Allen's Flying Heritage Collection opened to the public at Paine Field in Everett, Washington, USA. The collection features numerous rare and historic military aircraft, most airworthy, restored to the highest standards.

• 12 June: A 1970 BAC Jet Provost Mk. 5, N199ER (XW322), crashed while landing at Bay City, Texas, USA. The aircraft was destroyed, but neither occupant was apparently injured. This particular aircraft was one of two personal trainer aircraft assigned to HRH Prince Charles during his Royal Navy pilot training in 1971.

• 21 June: North American P-51D Mustang G-MRLL (s/n 44-13521) owned by Maurice Hammond, made its first engine-run in 64 years after a lengthy 5-year restoration in the U.K. [Photos here.]

• 22 June: A 1971 Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin, N29DJ, (c/n 892806), crashed in the forest shortly after takeoff from Millville, New Jersey, USA. Owner/pilot William Crean and passenger Frederick Gault were both killed.

• 26 June: A Boeing D75N1 Stearman, N19BB, ground-looped and came to rest inverted on the grass after landing at Driggs, Idaho, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

July 2008:

•  6 July: A 2002 Yakovlev Yak-52TW, N777YK, landed gear-up at Middleton, Wisconsin, USA. Damage was classified as "minor."

• 12 July: A 1942 Boeing B75N1 Stearman, N0166M, nosed-over and came to rest inverted after landing at Culpeper, Virginia, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 14 July: A 1942 Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, N49FG, suffered the collapse of its landing gear during landing at Starkville, Mississippi, USA. No injuries were reported.

• 22 July: The European Union grounded the last three passenger-carrying Douglas DC-3 Dakotas in the UK due to safety regulations. These regulations require, among other things, oxygen systems, escape slides, and weather radar -- three systems the vintage Dakota neither carried nor needed for the types of sightseeing flights it carried out. [Editor's note: The EU's march toward bureaucratic totalitarianism appears to be going well. European fans of vintage aircraft should enjoy whatever shows and sights they can take in, as these opportunities might not last.]

August 2008:

• 4 August: A North American P-51D Mustang, N551W ("The Millie G"), was damaged in a takeoff accident at Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA. The plane ended up on its belly against an airport perimeter fence. The pilot was not injured.

• 5 August: A 1952 deHavilland Canada DHC-1 Chipmunk, N41832, suffered an engine failure and crashed after takeoff near Erie, Colorado, USA. The pilot/owner and had minor injuries, and his passenger (his teenaged grandson) was seriously injured. The aircraft was mostly destroyed.

• 8 August: The North American T-2 Buckeye flew its final student training sortie in service with the U.S. Navy, at NAS Pensacola, Florida. The venerable jet trainer entered service in 1959.

Photo courtesy Pensacola News Journal

• 20 August: A 1948 Hawker Sea Fury T-Mk.20, N51SF, operated by the Texas-based Cavanaugh Flight Museum, suffered an engine failure while on approach and landed short of the runway at Reno-Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada. The aircraft, which was to compete in next month's National Championship Air Races, was substantially damaged, but the pilot was unhurt.

Sea Fury N51SF on its way to Nelson Ezell's restoration
facility after its off-airport landing at Reno.
Photo taken in Limon, Colorado,
September 6, 2008, by Bob Williams.

• 22 August: The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a draft advisory circular (AC) that "provides guidance for substantiating parts or materials substitutions to maintain the safety of old or out of production general aviation (GA) airplanes." This guidance will help operators of vintage aircraft maintain their planes and keep them in safe condition as they age. The text of the AC is available here.

• 30 August: A deHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth, N80660, crashed on takeoff at Sevierville, Tennessee, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 30 August: A Yakovlev Yak-52, N524CK, crashed into the St. Lucie River near Stuart, Florida, USA. Neither occupant was injured. [Video of recovery efforts.]

• 31 August: A 1935 deHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth, N522R, suffered an engine failure while in the traffic pattern and came to rest 50 feet up in a tree near the Skylark Airpark, East Windsor, Connecticut, USA. The two occupants were unhurt, but it took three hours for rescue crews to reach them and lower them to the ground using ropes and pulleys.

September 2008:

• 1 September: A Lockheed SP-2H (P2V) Neptune airtanker, N4235T, crashed after takeoff from the Reno-Stead Airport, Reno, Nevada, USA. All three persons on board were killed. The aircraft was enroute to battle a wildfire in nearby Inyoe County, California. It was operated by Neptune Aviation of Missoula, Montana.

• 1 September: A Yakovlev Yak-52 crashed into the sea off Stradbroke Island, Australia while performing aerobatics. Both the pilot and passenger were killed.

• 5 September: The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has gone back to court over a dispute with the U.S. Air Force Museum (USAFM) over the ownership of a rare North American F-82B Twin Mustang. The CAF contends that the aircraft was donated outright by the Air Force in 1968. A ruling in July favored the USAFM, but the CAF has appealed, citing multiple documents that contain the word "donation."

• 16 September: The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas, USA has issued a series of press releases detailing the damage sustained by the museum during this weekend's passage of Hurricane Ike. About a dozen of the flyable aircraft were previously flown out of harm's way. [Click through for a heartbreaking photo gallery of the damage to the museum and its exhibits.]

• 19 September: A 1965 Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin, N129DH, lost its canopy while on the takeoff roll in Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA. No one was injured.

• 28 September: A 1941 North American Harvard Mk.IIA, N9272C, departed the edge of the runway during a touch-and-go in Dayton, Ohio, USA, resulting in the collapse of the left landing gear. The pilot suffered only minor injuries.

October 2008:

• 9 October: A Canadair CT-114 Tutor jet operated by the Canadian Forces Snowbirds team crashed in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada, during a rehearsal / photo flight, killing both the pilot and a photographer.

• 9 October: The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has proposed sweeping new regulations that would require operators of all aircraft over 12,500 pounds maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) to enact strict security background checks and/or screening of crewmembers and passengers, much like that required by commercial airlines. The implications of such measures on warbird operations are obvious, and several organizations are studying the matter.

• 11 October: Art Nalls and his privately-owned BAe Sea Harrier, XZ439 (N94422), made their airshow debut at the Culpeper Air Fest in Virginia, USA. Nalls' Harrier is the first one to fly in private hands, and its airworthiness is a significant accomplishment considering the complexity and expense of this type.

• 11 October: A 1958 Focke-Wulf P.149D, N149PE, suffered the collapse of its nose landing gear during landing in San Diego, California, USA.

• 31 October: A 1952 North American/CCF Harvard Mk. IV, N2047, operated by the Commemorative Air Force and modified as a replica of a Japanese "Kate" dive-bomber, landed at San Marcos, Texas, USA, with its landing gear only partially extended. Thanks to some expert handling by the pilot, damage was minimal as the left gear collapsed upon touchdown.

November 2008:

• The Commemorative Air Force's (CAF) Gulf Coast Wing in Houston, Texas, USA has been notified that the lease on their hangar containing their Boeing B-17 Flying Fortess, "Texas Raiders," will expire at the end of this month, and the plane must me removed. Since it is under restoration and cannot be moved, it may have to be dismantled and shipped to the CAF's home base in Midland, Texas, unless a new home can be found.

• 13 November: A North American FJ-4B Fury, N400FS, landed gear-up during an airshow at the Pensacola Naval Air Station, Florida, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 16 November: The Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Maryland has taken delivery of one of the last airworthy Fairchild C-119 Flying Boxcars in existence. N8093 was flown to the museum from Graybull, Wyoming, where it had been a fire suppression bomber with Hawkins and Powers Aviation since the 1980s. The C-119 joins a C-82 Packet already on display at the former home of the Fairchild Aircraft Company.

December 2008:

• 6 December: One of the Commemorative Air Force's first aircraft, a Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, N1226N (s/n 42-105867) has made its first post-restoration flight, with sponsor Ray Kinney at the controls.

• After over seven years in flyable storage in Ohakea, New Zealand's fleet of Aermacchi MB-339CB strike trainers may be brought back into service. The new defense minister announced that the government would be considering the action shortly. The sale of seventeen Douglas A-4 Skyhawks to an American contractor is still held up by bureaucracy at the U.S. State Department.

• 24 December: Marvin L. "Lefty" Gardner, WWII pilot, famous P-38 airshow performer, crop-duster, and one of the founding members of the Confederate Air Force, passed away at the age of 87.

• 26 December: The world's only remaining restored Handley Page Hampden bomber was badly damaged by heavy snowfall at the Canadian Museum of Flight. The left wing structure failed under the load of the snow, and separated from the airplane. The wing then fell onto a display case containing one of the plane's original engines.

• 
  

January 2009:

• 3 January: A Nanchang CJ-6, N99YK, crashed into a field during a landing approach at the Propwash Airport in Denton County, Texas, USA. Both the pilot and passenger were killed.

• 5 January: The Commemorative Air Force (CAF) has announced that their Director of Maintenance and Quality Assurance, Gary Austin, will be leaving the organization to pursue "non-aviation related" activities. Austin, who has worked tirelessly on many major efforts including the CAF's B-29 and B-24, is noted for leading some of the vast improvements in the way the CAF maintains its fleet of vintage airplanes.

• 5 January: A Russian polar explorer and three crewmembers survived the crash of a Basler BT-67 (a turbo-conversion DC-3/C-47) in Antarctica. The Russian-owned plane was carrying vehicle parts for a British expedition when it apparently crashed into the ice. All four survivors were evacuated on a second airplane.

• 11 January: A 1945 Nord 1101 Noralpha (a license-built Messerschmitt 208), N208ME, lost engine power and landed short of the runway in Sparta, Illinois, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 12 January: A 1948 Ryan Navion A, N4387K, force-landed in a field near the Latrobe, Pennsylvania, USA airport. The pilot was not injured.

• The Yankee Air Museum in Willow Run, Michigan, USA, may soon have to move from its current hangar facilities, apparently because the airport needs to close the building to save money. The museum had taken up residence in its current home after a fire in 2004 which destroyed its former hangar.

• 15 January: A two-seat Supermarine Spitfire Mk. IX, ZK-WDQ (MH367) owned and flown by Doug Brooker, suffered the collapse of its landing gear upon landing at Masterton Aerodrome, New Zealand, just before a weekend airshow in which it was to play a large role. [See photo below]. Details of the accident are not known, but most the aircraft appears to be relatively undamaged. The aircraft had recently been restored in Florida.

Photo courtesy Wairarapa Times-Age

• 16 January: A North American T-6/SNJ-5, N7861B, ground-looped on landing at Merritt Island, Florida, USA. Damage to the airplane was substantial, but the pilot was not injured.

• 17 January: The Heritage Flight Museum of Bellingham, Washington, USA reopened in its new location at the Bellingham International Airport. Showcasing nearly a dozen flyable vintage aircraft, the museum was founded in 1996 by Apollo 8 astronaut Bill Anders and his family.

• 24 January: A rare Avro Vulcan bomber on display at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, USA is threatened with destruction unless the base's 8th Air Force Museum passes an accreditation inspection by the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. [More information here.]

• 27 January: The Hangar 11 Collection at North Weald, UK, is pleased to announced that their Hawker Hurricane X, G-HHII ("BE505") has made its first post-restoration flight.  

• 28 January: A SIAI Marchetti SF-260C, N688C, crashed shortly after takeoff from the Santa Monica airport in California, killing both the pilot and passenger. Witnesses reported seeing the aircraft attempt to make an aggressive turn back to the runway after losing the engine.

• 31 January: The Lone Star Flight Museum in Galveston, Texas, USA, heavily damaged during Hurricane Ike in September 2008, has reopened.

• 31 January: All four people involved survived after a North American T-6G Texan, N51KT (s/n 49-3266) was involved in a midair collision with a helicopter at an airport northwest of Houston, Texas, USA. The T-6 landed safely after losing its left wingtip and part of the wing, and the helicopter fell about 40 feet to the ground.

February 2009:

• 1 February: A Aero Vodochody L-29 Delfin lost its brakes and departed the end of the runway at North Shore Airfield, Dairy Flat, New Zealand. The plane crossed a road and came to rest against a fence, but the pilot was not injured.

• 4 February: A Douglas DC-3 / C-47, N834TP, operated by the National Test Pilot School, veered off the side of the runway and nosed over at Mojave, California, USA. The plane was substantially damaged, but neither pilot was injured.

• 7 February: A 1944 Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress, N93012 ("Nine O' Nine"), operated by the Collings Foundation, struck approach lights during landing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, USA. The aircraft apparently suffered no damage.

• A 1943 Fairchild PT-26A Cornell, N49071, lost engine power and force-landed off the airport at San Juan Island, Washington, USA. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but the two occupants were not injured.

• 18 February: A Douglas AC-47T / BT-67 "Fantasma" ("Phantom") on a training mission with the Columbian Air Force crashed in the village of El Purnio, Columbia (100 miles northwest of Bogota) shortly after taking off from its home base. 5 people were killed. First reports say that the aircraft involved was designated FAC 1659, an aircraft that had been involved in another fatal accident in September 2000.

• 18 February: A second AC-47T / BT-67, registered PNC-0211, was damaged in Columbia, this time at the Medellin Airport. The press reported that a "tear-gas grenade" exploded inside the aft cabin -- however, since photos show that the fuselage was cut in half, it is likely a more powerful explosive was also involved.

March 2009:

• 7 March: The left wing of a Grumman TBM-3 Avenger, N188TD (Bu. No. 53522), caught fire shortly after takeoff from Millville, New Jersey, USA. Pilot Terry Rush managed to return quickly to the airport, land, and run away from the burning airplane. He suffered second- and third-degree burns, but his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The aircraft, which was destroyed, was owned by Tom Duffy, who also owns a Corsair, B-25, and other aircraft.

• 11 March: The National Museum of the Air Force declined a settlement proposal made by the Commemorative Air Force (CAF) regarding the stewardship of a rare North American F-82 Twin Mustang. The aircraft, which was restored by the CAF during the past ten years with the intention to eventually fly it, was immediately dismantled and returned to the Air Force. The CAF intends to appeal the ruling.

• 11 March: A newly-restored, authentic-restored Fieseler Fi 156 Storch, G-STCH, has made its first post-restoration flight. Owned by Peter Holloway, the aircraft will be based at Old Warden, UK along with his other vintage aircraft.

• 12 March: The Illinois-based Warbird Heritage Foundation announced the addition of a Douglas AD-1 Skyraider, N2AD (Bu. No. 09257), to its collection.

• The wreckage of what might be a long-lost Argentinean Air Force Avro Lancaster, missing since the 1950s, has been found in a remote fjord in Tierra del Fuego, Chile. [More information].

• 20 March: The Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum has announced that their Avro Lancaster bomber has been grounded due to corrosion issues. They have launched a fund-raising appeal to get the plane back into the air.

• 28 March: A Grumman F8F-2 Bearcat, N7825C, operated by the Commemorative Air Force's SoCal Wing, suffered a progressive loss of power and made a successful forced landing at Burbank, California, USA. Pilot Steve Barber is reported to have done a magnificent job getting the plane on the ground.

• 28 March: The left main landing gear of 1944 North American T-6D Texan N554Q collapsed upon landing in Destin, Florida, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 29 March: A 1975 Siai-Marchetti SM-1019B, N273LH, struck a tree after takeoff in Dade City, Florida, USA. The aircraft was substantially damaged, but the pilot escaped injury.

• 30 March: ABC News aired an investigative report on potential safety issues with a 1957 Grumman HU-16E Albatross operated by energy drink maker Red Bull. The report alleges that the aircraft is used to fly media and celebrities at public sporting events and airshows, and that its airframe might be beyond its designed "fatigue life."

April 2009:

• 3 April: An Aero Vodochody L-39C Albatros blew a tire and went off the side of the runway during landing at Houma, Louisiana, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

• 5 April: A Curtiss P-40N Warhawk, N740RB (s/n 44-7368) crashed into the water near Fire Island, New York, USA, while preparing for an air display. The aircraft's owner and pilot, Robert Baranaskas, was killed.

• 14 April: A North American SNJ-4, N269WB, ground-looped on landing and ended up on its nose in a line of nearby trees in Bessemer, Alabama, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 18 April: North American NA-64 Yale N64FL (serial # 64-2207) completed its first flight since 1945, following a 8-year restoration in Slaton, Texas. The flight was completed with only a few minor issues being noted, and a second flight was made the same day. [Thanks to Malcom Laing]

• 21 April: A 1944 Grumman FM-2 Wildcat, N909WJ, struck a wingtip during landing at Lakeland, Florida, USA, resulting in minor damage.

• 24 April: After resting at the bottom of Lake Michigan for over 64 years, a Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber was successfully recovered. The aircraft, which was ditched in 1944 during naval carrier training operations, will be restored and displayed at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans, Louisiana. [More news and videos.]

• 24 April: Legend Flyers, LLC in Everett, Washington, USA rolled out a replica Messerschmitt Me-262 that, like previous flying examples, was painstakingly assembled using original German drawings and specifications (see below). This museum-display aircraft, which took five years to create, will not be made airworthy. Its new home will be announced shortly.

• 24 April: A 1979 Siai Marchetti SM-1019 utility aircraft, N391RV, came to rest on its nose during a landing in gusty wind conditions at Novato, California, USA. The pilot and passenger were not injured.

• 25 April: A Lockheed P2V Neptune firebomber (Tanker 42, N442NA, s/n 150283), enroute from its base in Montana to a wildfire in New Mexico slammed into a mountain near Stockton, Utah, USA, killing all three crewmembers aboard. The aircraft was being operated by Neptune Aviation, of Missoula, Montana.

• 26 April: The crew of a 1942 Douglas DC-3 / C-47 Dakota, N136FS, reported a fire in the cockpit while taxiing at San Juan, Puerto Rico. All four occupants successfully evacuated the aircraft before it was destroyed by fire.

• 26 April: A 1940 DeHavilland DH-82 Tiger Moth, N82EK, made a forced landing on a beach at Smith Point, Islip, New York, USA. The pilot was not injured, and the aircraft was undamaged.

• 30 April: An Antonov AN-2 Colt biplane, registered RF-00842, crashed on approach to Nemyugyunskogo, Yakutia, Russia in heavy snow. Witnesses reported the aircraft made three attempts to land and hit powerlines on the third attempt. All three people on board were killed.

May 2008:

• 17 May: A 1941 Boeing E75 / PT-17 Stearman, N4787V, was substantially damaged during landing in Cottonwood, Arizona.

• 18 May: A 1942 Boeing A75N1 / PT-17 Stearman, N450JN, departed the runway on landing at Joshua Tree, California, USA. The aircraft pitched onto its nose, caught fire, and burned. The pilot was unhurt, but the aircraft was destroyed.

• 19 May: The Evergreen Air and Space Museum in McMinnville, Oregon, USA has secured ownership of a rare Lockheed EC-121T (s/n 52-3417) that for years had been used as a training airframe at a technical college in Helena, Montana. The museum plans to have the aircraft restored in Arizona, then fly it to Oregon for permanent display.

• 22 May: A 1974 BAC Jet Provost Mk.5A, N78SH (XW336), force-landed in a field near Cheyenne, Wyoming, USA. Neither occupant was injured.

• 23 May: A 1972 Nanchang CJ-6, N81817, was involved in a formation mid-air collision with a RV-8 homebuilt aircraft in Decatur, Alabama, USA after the CJ-6 had participated in a flyby. The CJ-6 pilot safely returned for a landing. The pilot of the RV-8 was killed.

• 23 May: A North American T-6G Texan, N25KP, suffered the collapse of its main landing gear and slid off the runway during landing in Belmar, New Jersey, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 29 May: The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) released a modified version of its security directive (SD-8G) that would have severely curtailed the ability of aircrew to access certain airports. [More information here].

• 29 May: The Arizona Wing of the Commemorative Air Force is pleased to announce the successful first flight of their North American B-25N Mitchell, N125AZ (s/n 43-35927), called "Maid in the Shade," in Mesa, Arizona, USA. Crewmembers Tim Jackson, Russ Gilmore, and Spike McLane reported that the aircraft performed very well. The aircraft last flew in 1981, and during its restoration it was returned to authentic wartime configuration.

Photo courtesy Francois Bergeon

June 2009:

• 4 June: A rare 1939 Messerschmitt Bf-109E-4, CF-EML, operated by the Russell Aviation Group, made an emergency landing in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada, after hitting a flagpole near the end of the runway after takeoff. One of the aircraft's wings sustained damage, but pilot John Romain landed safely. The pole was allegedly one of several erected shortly before the incident by a disgruntled man who owns property adjacent to the airport.

• 4-6 June: The National Biplane Association held their final Biplane Expo in Bartlesville, Oklahoma, USA. The event had been held every year for 23 years.

• 6 June: A 1947 deHavilland DH-115 Vampire Mk.3, N6878D, owned by Wings of Flight, Inc., lost engine power after takeoff at Rochester, New York, USA, and made a forced landing short of the runway. Pilot Peter Treichler was injured, but is expected to make a full recovery. This particular aircraft was once owned by actor John Travolta, and it is generally considered to be the oldest jet aircraft still flying. [Editor's note: We apologize for previously publishing some incorrect information that was sent to us by usually-reputable sources.]

• 6 June: A 1944 Lockheed P-38 Lightning, N79123 (s/n 44-27231) ("Ruff Stuff") experienced an apparent "runaway propeller" during takeoff at an airshow in Fairmont, Nebraska, USA. Pilot Rob Ator did a great job aborting the takeoff, but a tire blew in the process. The aircraft was not damaged.

• 8 June: A 1996 Yakovlev Yak-11, N7YK, veered off the runway and struck a concrete barrier during a landing in Culpepper, Virginia, USA. The pilot was not injured, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.

• 8 June: A 1948 Meyers OTW-145, N34335, came to rest in a ditch upon landing in Haskell, Texas, USA, after the right brake locked. Neither occupant was seriously injured.

• 9 June: The Canadian Warplane Heritage's rare Westland Lysander, C-GCWL, made its first post-restoration flight, with Rob Erdos at the controls. The flight was reported to be a complete success.

• 17 June: A 1979 Dornier Alpha Jet, N707XA, landed gear-up at Arlington, Washington, USA. The aircraft was only slightly damaged.

• 17 June: The U.S. Air Force's venerable Cessna T-37 "Tweet" flew its final student training flight at Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas. Over 78,000 pilots were trained in the T-37 during its 50+ years of service. [Including this editor... Ed.]

• 19 June: A Douglas SBD Dauntless dive bomber has been recovered from the bottom of Lake Michigan, where it had rested since 1944. Former McDonald's CEO Fred Turner financed the recovery, and the aircraft will be restored in Pensacola, Florida, before being permanently displayed in a museum in Hawaii. [More details here.]

• 19 June: A North American T-6A Texan, N9793Z, incurred damage in Olympia, Washington, USA as the result of a bounced landing, during which the right wing contacted the ground.

• 23 June: The Florida-based Valiant Air Command's Douglas C-47A Skytrain, N3239T ("Tico Belle"), made its first flight after an eight-year long restoration following a landing accident in 2001.

• 24 June: A 1973 Nanchang China CJ-6, N6339V, suffered the collapse of its landing gear after landing in Aurora, Oregon, USA. The pilot was not injured.

• 26 June: The American Airpower Museum in Farmingdale, New York USA, might lose its historic hangar home at Republic Airport due to a federal airport improvement project. [Details here.]

• 29 June: A 1941 Boeing A75N Stearman, N38978, flipped over while landing at Quinton, Virginia, USA. The pilot was not injured. 

---

[Up to Top of Page]	[Back to Warbird Alley Home Page]

---

Got news?
Please help us spread the word by sending an e-mail to:
editor@warbirdalley.com

Thank you for your interest, and for helping us
to make this a valuable resource.

Note: Warbird Alley makes every effort to verify and substantiate all news stories presented here. We make no claims as to the ultimate validity of any item, and we deny liability for claims arising from inaccuracies or omissions.

© 2009 The Doublestar Group
All Rights Reserved