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.
Price $10.47 (Save 30% off list price!)
Note: Volume 3 of "Forgotten Fields of America" is now available
from the author at a special price of $12.00 plus $2.25 postage and handling. Contact the
author at (513) 489-7400 or fax (513) 489-8025 for this special pricing, and mention you
read about it on Warbird Alley.com.
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.
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.
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.
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 secondAC-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.
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.
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.
Thank you for your interest, and for helping us
to make this a valuable resource.
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