ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 108106
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| Date: | Saturday 4 December 1943 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Lockheed P-38H Lightning |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Force (USAAF) |
| Registration: | 42-66905 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | near Dobodura Airfield #12 (North Embi), Northern -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | Unknown |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Dobodura #15 (North Borio) |
On 4 December 1943, Lt Dolphus Ransome Dawson II of 431st FS, 475th FG took off from North Borio Airstrip (Dobodura No. 15) on a training exercise with the P-38H-5-LO 42-66905. During the flight he suffered mechanical difficulties and force landed into a swamp area 3 miles northeast of Embi Airfield No. 2 (Dobodura No. 12). The pilot was rescued but the aircraft was not recovered.
That aircraft had been first allocated to 39th FS, 35th FG and used by Lt. Richard E. Smith O-725368 who nicknamed it "Japanese Sandman II" to replace his original aircraft P-38F "The Japanese Sandman" that had been damaged. Smith used it until the 39th FS replaced their P-38 Lightings with P-47 Thunderbolts. 42-66905 was then assigned to 431st FS, 475th FG.
In 1985, a local man named Frank Egiembari led David Pennefather, who was visiting air wrecks in the area, to this rare P-38 wreck. On the side of the cockpit, "R. E. Smith" was still visible on the side of the cockpit, and the former pilot was reunited the next year with his former mount.
In late 2000, both tail booms and various fittings were recovered by Robert Greinert of the Historic Aircraft Restoration Society (HARS). Greinert claimed at the time the parts would be restored or used in other P-38 restorations. During 2003, the booms were in storage at Bankstown Airport and were later loaned to Classic Jets Museum, then became part of lawsuit between HARS and Classic Jets Museum over their ownership. During 2006, the parts were transported to Precision Aerospace, where they are stored outdoors and claimed to be owned by Gerald Yagen. On one of the tail booms, the hand painted project number "96121" was visible in white paint.
Sources:
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p-38/42-66905.html
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/p-38/42-66905/1986/index.html
http://pacificwrecks.com/airfields/png/embi/index.html
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=en&lat=-8.820278&lon=148.411689&z=14&m=b&permpoly=13577926
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Dec-2015 08:15 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 01-Jul-2023 20:08 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Total fatalities, Total occupants, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]] |
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