banndit wrote:
I'm reviewing a TON of stuff in boxes....quick update, from my FIL's flight diary. The P47, s/n 44-87842 crashed on 5/20/1945 in Dillsborough (?) Oh in a grove of trees...the pilot "rode it down" "both wings were sheared" the "tail had broken off" and the rest smashed against a tree. The pilot had a cut on his hand, but walked away. Apparently the engine had failed at high altitude.
B
I don't think its "Dillsborough" Ohio. The pilot was Robert O. Rahn
http://www.skyhawk.org/2b/rahn.htm of test pilot fame.
He was conducting war-emergency water injection tests at high altitude. "All was "in the Green" for few minutes while performing the tests; Then the engine simply and abruptly quit running." Rahn wrote.
Because the P-47N was heavily instrumented and the data from the test could be important to the combat crews conducting long range missions in the Pacific, Rahn decided not to bail out. He thought he could make it to Wright Field but as he said " That was not to be". So instead he was going to belly in to try and save the plane.
He was aiming for a small bean field trying not to stall and ended up overshooting the field with too much air speed and was heading for a farm house. At the last second he kicked the rudder hard right, missed the house and crashed into that wooded area the severed the fuselage behind the cockpit and knocked off both wings. His only injury was a scratch where the control stick had broke off in his hand.
"I was slumped over in the cockpit, probably thanking God to be alive, when the farmer and his wife arrived on the scene. I looked up asked them to call Wright Field, and then the woman fainted. She thought I had been killed."
"I had to wait some time to be picked up because it was a Sunday morning, and I was asked into the house. The owners were astonished when I fell asleep on the couch."
I had wondered what Ser No. of this P-47N was and where exactly it had crashed. There is no Dillsborough in the vicinity of Wright Field or in all of Ohio for that matter as far as I can tell. The only thing I can think of that comes close is "Hillsboro" located to the south east which Test pilots were known to fly near during the time period.
Even then Hillsboro is 60 miles away from Wright Field. Since he was trying to glide in I thought end crashed a little closer. But anything is possible I guess. Neat to see pictures though.
Shay
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