ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 114880
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| Date: | Monday 8 January 1945 |
| Time: | |
| Type: |  Northrop P-61A-10-NO Black Widow |
| Owner/operator: | United States Army Air Forces (USAAF) |
| Registration: | 42-5632 |
| MSN: | 864 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Kunming -
 China
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Kunming |
On 8 January 1945, the P-61A-10-NO 42-5632 of 426th NFS was taking off from Kunming Field with its usual crew, Lt David A. Sinclair (pilot) and Lt Mason Edwards (radar operator), when his right engine lost manifold power. Lt. Sinclair decided to come in for a landing and lowered the gear thinking that the engines would hold out although something was wrong. After the gear was lowered the right engine R.P.M. boost began to drop rapidly. Due to the low altitude and the characteristic of the aircraft to lose altitude when the wheels are raised, the pilot could not try to gain airspeed by raising the wheels. He crash landed with no serious injury to himself or to Lt. Edwards, but it wrecked the aircraft. Fifteen minutes after crash mechanics tried to unload the aircraft’s guns and a couple stray rounds fired off. Fragments injured two of the mechanics when the shells exploded, resulting in only minor injuries.
This aircraft, construction number 864, was accepted by USAAF on 13 June 1944 and went to Sacramento Air Depot three days later. It went Newark, NJ for deployment on 10 July and left the USA on the aircraft carrier HMS Puncher on 26 July for Casablanca, Morocco. There he was cleaned and assembled at Oazes Air Base near Casablanca and was assigned to the 427th NFS. The air echelon of this squadron flew to Payne Field near Cairo on 24 August, spent a week there and then flew to Pomigliano, Italy, on 1 September, starting patrols on the 3rd of that month. Their stay was short, as on 20 September the 427th was given orders to relocate to the China-Burma-India Theater of Operations and join the Tenth Air Force in India. This aircraft flew to India and reached Karachi on 22 September, Barrackpore on 4 October and Calcutta on 29 October. Arriving in India, the squadron cooperated closely with the 426th NFS. The 426th, with only four operational Black Widows, needed additional aircraft for their China operations. A deal was struck between the COs of the two squadrons in which the 427th would give the 426th eight of its twelve aircraft in exchange for the 426th’s aircraft at the depot at Karachi, where two were assembled and six were being assembled. 42-5632 was so handed over to the 426th NFS on 2 November. After the accident described above, it was stricken the next day, on 9 January.
Sources:
"Northrop’s Night Hunter: The P-61 Black Widow", by Jeff Kolln. ISBN 978-1-58007-122-2
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/426th_Tactical_Fighter_Training_Squadron
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/427th_Special_Operations_Squadron
http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AARmonthly/Jan1945O.htm
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kunming_Wujiaba_International_Airport
http://wikimapia.org/#lang=fr&lat=24.972209&lon=102.710152&z=12&m=w
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 29-Aug-2012 11:43 | Uli Elch | Updated [Cn, Operator, Source, Narrative] |
| 08-Sep-2012 06:02 | Uli Elch | Updated [Narrative] |
| 08-Jan-2016 16:01 | Laurent Rizzotti | Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Departure airport, Source, Narrative] |
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