Warbird Information Exchange

I started another topic based on my bomber list of wrecks in fresh water in the US & CAN. Here is a rough list of Warbirds in the US & CAN. Please chime in if something has been recovered so I can update my list! Hopefully someone might come across a wreck still waiting to be discovered from this list. I also need to mention this is does not include Naval aircraft.

Thanks, JH

430704 P-39N 42-8849 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Clear Lake, CA
•430707 P-39Q 42-19882 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Clear Lake, CA
•430720 RB-25B 40-2281 Mid Air Collision O B ? Bass Lake, Fresno, CA
•430424 B-25D 41-29974 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Spring Bay, Great Salt Lake UT
•421125 B-25C 41-13234 Killed Forced Landing Engine Failure Into Lake Murray, ,SC
•430404 B-25D 41-29860 Crash Ground collision Into Lake Murray, SC
•430415 P-47C 41-6590 Bailed Out Engine Failure Into Lake Bradford, FL
•430424 B-25D 41-29974 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Spring Bay, Great Salt Lake, UT
•430619 B-25C 41-13177 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Lake Murray, SC
•430704 P-39N 42-8849 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Clear Lake, CA
•430707 P-39Q 42-19882 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Clear Lake, CA
•430731 A-36A 42-83756 Killed in Crash Into Lake Maurepas, LA
•430812 P-47D 42-8320 Ditched Into Lake Kerr, FL
•430812 P-47D 42-8329 Crashed Ground Collision Into Lake Kerr, FL
•440503 P-39Q 44-71060 Killed in Crash Take off Explosion 1 mi off shore Lake Ontario, NY
•440630 P-39Q 42-20038 Bailed Out, Mid Air Collision Over the east edge of Moses Lake, WA
•440630 P-39Q 42-19962 Killed Mid Air Collision Over the east edge of Moses Lake, WA
•430614 A-36A 42-83766 Mid Air Collision With Tow Target Lake Pontchartrain, LA
•430221 P-39M 42-4802 Forced Landing Engine Fire Watson Lake, YT
•440802 P-47D 42-27809 Killed Aircraft Unidentified Lake Margrethe, Grayling, MI
•440917 P-47D 42-74776 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Lake Huron, 1 mi N 3 mi E Sturgeon Pt,MI
•440923 RA-25A 42-20169 Killed Mid Air Collision Over? Lake Brownwood, Brownwood, TX
•440314 RA-24B 42-54421 Landing Accident Mechanical Failure Bicycle Lake, CA
•441016 P-47D 42-28745 Mid Air Collision With Tow Target Lake Pontchatrain, LA
•430801 B-26C 41-35106 Killed in Ditching The Aircraft Into Lake George, FL
•440125 P-39Q 44-3645 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Lake Ontario
•420118 B-25B 40-2231 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Lake Apopka, FL
•420806 B-25C 41-12790 Mid Air collision Over Tulare Lake, CA
•421114 P-47C 41-6122 Bailed Out due to Structural Failure Silver Lake, FL
•421128 C-47 41-38635 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Lake Wiamann, AK
•421230 P-39D 41-38246 Forced Landing Due to Engine Fire San Leandro Reservoir Lake, CA
•431206 B-24H 42-7674 Killed in Crash Ground Collision Into Huntington Lake, CA
•510829 TB-25J 44-29060 Ground Collision Shafter Lake, TX
•530410 F-47D 44-32883 Missing Ditched Over Lake Ontario, NY
•531228 T-33A 52-9453 Killed Crash Out Of Gas Lake Michigan, IL
•421107 B-25C 41-12970 Killed Crash Due to Explosion Swamp, 18 mi SE of Walterboro, SC
•421226 B-25C 41-12630 Killed Mid Air Collision Over? Lafourche Swamp, LA
•430221 B-26B 41-18160 Killed Crashed Engine Failure Lake Calcasieu, LA
•430401 P-47C 41-6338 Crash Ground Collision Lake Griffin, FL
•420116 B-26 40-1453 Forced Landing Out of Gas Watson Lake, Yukon Territory,CAN
•420116 B-26 40-1501 Forced Landing Out of Gas Watson Lake, Yukon Territory,CAN
•420116 B-26 40-1459 Forced Landing Out of Gas Watson Lake, Yukon Territory,CAN
•420116 B-26 40-1464 Forced Landing Out of Gas Watson Lake, Yukon Territory,CAN
•430819 RA-25 41-18822 Missing in Service Into Okefenokee Swamp, FL (?)
•420420 P-39 41-7328 Killed Stall, Spin Crash Into swamp 10 mi NE of Phoenix, LA
•430527 AT-10 41-26837 Killed Crash Ground Collision Into White River, 20 Mi SE George Field, IL
•450708 B-25J 44-30746 Killed Crash Landing 3M NE Vevay, KY into Ohio River
•300404 PT-3 28-254 Killed Mid Air Collision O? Into Water of Lake Hodges, CA
•430924 P-39N 42-9114 Crash Engine Failure Into Columbia River, 1 Mi NE Portland AB
•440805 P-39K 42-4440 Killed Crash Ground Collision Columbia River, 10 mi NW of Peach, WA
•430819 P-47C 41-6289 Killed Crash Engine Failure Connecticut River, 5 Mi W Middletown,CT

Here are a few from Wisconsin:
430726   BT-9C Into Lake Michigan near Muskegon 
441215   B-24L 44-49908  Lake Pepin, WI
530824   F-51H 44-64632  10mi NE of Port Washington, WI 
F-89C lake Wingra Madison, WI

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Always looking for P-51D parts.

As the link indicates, P-47D 42-8320 was recovered from Lake Kerr back in 1986 by Jay Wisler.

http://www.warbirdregistry.org/p47regis ... 28320.html

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It was a good idea, it just didn't work.

There's that british early -1 Corsair in the lake in Canada. Then the Steve Wittman air racer P-63 Kingcobra that crashed somewhere in the lake east of Oshkosh, Wisc. That would be a great one to recover. Don't forget the Navy ones in Washington St. the Privateer and Martin PBM-5 Mariner that the Navy botched a recovery. IMO, the Mariner would still be worth going after, since there's only one other in existence.
Any chance you could give us your wish list of recoverable aircraft based on 1) aircraft value, 2) condition upon impact with lake surface, 3) cold freshwater , brackish swamp, etc. 4) Size of lake or intel regarding where to go looking for an aircraft?

In 1946 a USN Avenger aircraft went in to Lake Huron close to Ontario, Canada. After suffering engine problems it made a successful water landing. The crew took to a life raft for rescue by a passing lake freighter. I read the story in a local newspaper while searching for surplus WWII RCAF aircraft sales. Now to locate the article again to obtain the date.

There is an Air Guard F-51D in Forest Lake in MN and rumour of a Corsair in a lake in Northern Minnesota. I belive both are post war accidents.

Little bit more info on the P-47C that went into the CT River near Middletown.

430819 P-47C 41-6289 377FS 362FG Bradley Field, CT KCREF 5 Waits, Homer V USA CT Into Connecticut River, 5 Mi W Middletown, CT

_________________
Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

About the mustang in Forest Lake :
There are mixed reports of both high and low angle impacts. It's also a F-51, not a P-51, changed in the 50's.

"It's accounted to be 400 yards or 1/4 miles off the NorthEast shore of Rogers Shadypoint. They show a picture of the barges dragging the bottom with a cable. The shore is very close but the picture is very poor quality and shows no detail. Two fishermen reported that the plane was close to striking resort cabins but pulled up just before crashing. This supports the low angle reports and they were first on scene, marked it with a bobber. Divers "Using deep sea equipment" reported little wreckage and a 60 hour search to find the pilot. A fuel tank and other bits is all they recovered. They never found the fuselage and sadly reported that debris was sinking during the search. They expect the plane disintegrated and that 5 to 15 feet of silt is covering everything."

Also I found these two:

450831 DISESA, RICHARD N F6F-3 USN-42802 CONNECTICUT RIVER, CT
480814 MELE, RAYMOND R AT-6C 42-4087 CANDLEWOOD LAKE, CT

And these: Maybe not fresh water so maybe we need another thread for these.

420421 WEBB, WILLARD J P-38E 41-2111 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
420612 ALMGREN, EDWARD S P-47B 41-5910 BLACK ROCK HARBOR, CT
420817 ANDERSON, MILTON A P-47B 41-5923 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
421103 MUDGE, DICK H JR P-47C 41-6141 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
421214 HUNT, JOHN H P-47B 41-5969 BRIDGEPORT IN LI SOUND, CT
430220 COOK, ERWIN TP-47C 41-6273 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430305 BOCK, CARL P P-47B 41-5975 FISHERS ISLAND SOUND, CT
430407 MCCRONE, EDGAR MP-47C 41-6093 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430518 WOOLERY, EDWARD E P-47C 41-6561 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430518 KOCZAK, ALEXANDER S P-47C 41-6636 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430530 DONOVAN, NEIL C P-47B 41-5939 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430621 LAWSON, STUART D P-47C 41-6433 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
430919 CRUTCHFIELD,WILFRD B P-47C 41-6558 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
431217 POE, CARROLL J P-47D 42-8167 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
440129 MCGILL, WILLIAM F P-47C 41-6420 NEW HAVEN HARBOR, CT
440311 BOULWARE,THOMAS M JR P-47D 43-25406 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT
440417 GODSHALK, ROBERT P-47D 42-22359 LONG ISLAND SOUND, CT

_________________
Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

HAHA, wrong list. Black Rock Harbor is Saltwater. I have other lists for SaltWater but like focusing on fresh water because of the possibility of something still being able to be recovered.

I was looking at the Google News archives last night and read about a B-25 that crashed into the Missouri river, broke in two and sank. The date was October 27th, 1951. It was near Kansas City. The newspaper was the Toledo Blade, Oct 28th edition.



Seen quite a few crashes along the east-west airways paths.....Wyoming and northern AZ/NM. Looked for one or two on Google Earth. May have located what looks like a wing or stab from a B-18.

You can look for that B-25 way down river by St Louis. The mighty Mo is not friendly at all to anything that goes into it.

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Well if I can't rollerskate around my playpen while smoking and drinking a beer, I'm staying home..

How do you end up in the Ct. River when you crash 5 miles West of Middletown ?

Phil

_________________
A man's got to know his limitations.

I was wondering the same too. Maybe they meant 5miles up or down the river? I don't know. Sent an email to the town office, see if we get a bite.

_________________
Keep Em' Flying,
Christopher Soltis
Dedicated to the preservation and education of The Sikorsky Memorial Airport

CASC Blog Page: http://ctair-space.blogspot.com/
Warbird Wear: https://www.redbubble.com/people/warbirdwear/shop

Chicks Dig Warbirds.......right?

Two more military wrecks in Lake Champlain between NY and VT:

F-51D 44-73326 06 February 1952. 1st LT Edgar M. Powell - survived.

KC-97C 52-2737 18 July 1957 Capt. Robert V. Smith - 5 fatalities. 4 survivors


Some pieces of both aircraft remain in Lake Champlain. For the F-51D it is probably one wing and the section forward of the cockpit.

For the KC-97C most of the larger pieces were recovered from relatively shallow water but most small pieces were left in the water.