Warbird Information Exchange

I may have located an F8F Bearcat crash site in a remote area of Arizona, was hoping to get help identifying a few parts so I could confirm it. HELP!

This Bearcat made a deadstick landing on a high mesa. Pilot ok. 1952. Navy abandoned the wreck as "inaccessible" but unfortunately salvagers got to it at some point. All that remains is a thousand small pieces.

See two attached photos. The first photo -- is this seat armor (buried in mud and bush)? It's about 2-3 feet tall, 4-5 feet wide and concave on the ends, bending inwards. Maybe underseat or backside armor? With what appears to be the headrest armor below it? It was very heavy, almost an inch thick.

Second photo is a gearset, maybe prop? next to my walking stick for size-comparison. Seems too small for prop?

Third photo is an odd dial, I havent seen anything like this before.

Fourth photo is another unknown dial, numbered 1-thru-12 or 15.

--> C. Baird
www.arizonawrecks.com


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Chris,

Photo 2 is either the generator or the starter. The outer body of the unit with magnets intact is just above the drive gear in your photo.

Yup, you have stumbled upon the remains of my old Microwave!

All kidding aside, where in AZ is this?

Thanks for your input!

This crash site is in the Seven Springs wilderness. Near Cave Creek/Carefree.

All of the identifiers from the Navy report line up so well, we made an "editorial decision" (yeah, whatever) to post the site as the (confirmed) Bearcat tonite ... see here our new webpage on the Bearcat:

http://www.arizonawrecks.com/wreckchasi ... arcat.html

This is risky because we have found several "mystery crash sites" whilst looking for other aircraft types.

The wreckage at this site had Bearcat written all over it though, thick skin and heavy formers. It matches the report perfectly. It is very close to the Civil Air Patrol Wreckage Locator coordinate, and it is in the last location that hasnt been searched by every Arizona wreck hunter.

What do you think? Does it look like Bearcat?

Pilot made a wheels up landing. What surprises me is that whoever scrapped it out didnt leave the gear legs and engine as is usually the case. Makes me think the local ranchers may have made off with these souvenirs.

--> C. Baird
www.arizonawrecks.com

D. Baird,

In my limited experience with "Navy" wrecks I have found that no matter what, someone was in charge of the recovery of ALL rubber during WWII. Some parts that would have been classified would even be left, but the rubber was always gone. I do not know if that policy continued that late after the war. If it did trying to remove the wheel and tire while on its belly may have meant it would be as easyer to cut the gear out. It also appears to me that the plane was burnt. The Navy did not always note the files if it was also destroyed after stripping the airframe. The remaining armor plate would suport the theory that it was a combat type single engine airplane. In the case of my Corsair the wheels and tires were cut out of the wings and the engine was taken for investigation, along with all armorment and related items.

To me it would seam that the Navy was there, took what they wanted and set fire to airframe. It's all just a supposition at this point.


Pirate Lex
http://www.BrewsterCorsair.com

_________________
An ego is no match for gravity.

Hi Pirate -

Arizonawrecks noted it crashed in 1952....

Enjoy the Day! Mark

I appreciate all of your two-cents! Thanks again. This is a great forum! I love it.

Yes, the Bearcat force-landed 1952. Had been in storage at Litchfield NAS, AZ immediately after production (late-45 or early-46), went to (I think) a Naval Reserve unit at Olathe, Kansas 1948-49 or so? (I can never make sense of these record cards).

The crash site is very difficult to reach, but there is a cattle tank somewhat near it on the highest mesa out there (unknown when that tank was dug out, appears to be fairly new from the fencing, 20 maybe 30 years old tops?) (I hiked right by it). There is one point on this cattle tank road where this crash site would've been shortly visible (when the Bearcat was intact that is).

I have a feeling the local ranchers probably knew of the wreck or spotted it from the tank road. The wrecksite is on a steep incline and is buried in mud and overgrowth bushes. Looked like it hadnt been disturbed in a very long time. The seat armor was buried almost two inches deep. I may have walked right by it except there was a massive forest fire through that area a couple years ago and it is now very moonscapish.

I didnt find any signs of mobile scrappers (50 gallon drums and portable smelting, that kind of thing). So who knows what became of it.

The Navy said in the report that it was completely abandoned on site due to "inaccesibility" (1952). They couldnt even survey the engine for possible malfunction.

--> C Baird
www.arizonawrecks.com