Crash Investigations 101

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:02 pm

What can you figure out by studying this photo??

maxum96 · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:15 pm

Well, we had the bent wing birds in WWII. This was an attempt at a bent fuselage bird.

DoraNineFan · **Joined:** Fri Aug 12, 2005 3:37 pm **Posts:** 671

Since the airplane's back is broken and there's prop marks across the deck, it looks like a botched or hard landing. And there' a fire at the landing point (drop tank?) since people are running with fire bottles.

Zachary · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:20 pm

A DeLorean just generated 1.21 gigawatts in its attempt to get back to the future???

Malo83 · **Joined:** Sat Sep 23, 2006 3:31 am **Posts:** 309

Wonder if the Pilot got knocked out , prop is still spinning and a crewman is running up on the wing.
Ramp Strike :twisted:

Bluedharma · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:25 pm

The image is called "SBDHardlanding.jpg" so that might be what happened?
Or like what was said in the movie "Goodfellas"... bing bang boom...

The roundels are pre-WW2 right? Was this prior to Pearl or early years of the war?
Roundels 1917 to 1942 ??
Fin flash was used until 1942.

Sea looks rough... Deck was pitching... Strong wind from the Port side.
He may have impacted the deck when it pitched up... and he was correcting for the wind from the left? That is why the Prop-strike "marks" goes to the Starboard?

planeoldsteve · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:50 pm

Hit the back of the flight deck or fantail?

Steve

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 1:51 pm

Do you know what we do to right click'in cheaters :?:

Bluedharma · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:10 pm

Jack Cook wrote:

Do you know what we do to right click'in cheaters

Oh Oh...

Bing! Bang! Boom!

Quick question... pre-WW2 ?

clangjr · **Joined:** Thu Apr 12, 2007 3:48 pm **Posts:** 106

The ship may not be pitched to the port side. The photographer could have taken the picture askew. The crew on the deck, other that the one guy carrying the fire extinguisher in his right hand, don't apear to be leaning to compensate. Clearly the seas are rough, but I don't know if we can be sure they deck is pithced.

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 3:23 pm

I'll fill the gaps in tonight.

n5151ts · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 4:02 pm

ramp strike

bdk · **Joined:** Sun May 02, 2004 1:16 am **Posts:** 11319

Compressed L3 I'd say, but I'm not a doctor, I only play one on TV....

Jack Cook · **Posted:** Wed Mar 19, 2008 8:02 pm

This was a very hard landing by a SBD-3 of VB-5 on the USS Yorktown in Feb 1942. My understanding was that the a/c suffered flak damage on a strike in the Marshall Islands. You can see the impact point on the aft end of the flight deck which broke the SBD's back and also note the numerous impact points of the prop. The hook engaged a CDP which is good has the pilot was incapacitated by a broken back and the gunner was knocked unconscious. The Dauntless was stripped and dumped over the side of the ship. IMHO this is a amazing photo showing how frigging dangerous CV flight OPS were and still are!

Starduster77 · **Joined:** Fri Feb 08, 2008 11:00 am **Posts:** 169

Looks like it broke at the front cockpit or is that a shadow?
Good photo .

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Crash Investigations 101

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