You've GOT to be kidding me...

[JoeS475]

The Collings Foundation just received the very historic P-40B from the UK, and instantly this happened:
http://www.news-journalonline.com/artic ... ch-airport

I have no more words...

Joe

[thomas_mac]

accidents happen?

[JoeS475]

Yes, of course they do, and I'm very happy nobody was hurt. It's just rough to see a mishap so soon after acquisition, before it has even had it's public debut in the US (to my knowledge). I'm hoping it gets fixed up as soon as possible, especially considering the historic value of this airframe!

Joe

[Hobart Escin]

That's why you pump that handle on the cockpit floor to make sure the gear is down all the way and locked.

[Scott - A2A]

Aircraft made with aluminum on frame construction can be repaired, rebuilt, etc. It's all just aluminum that can be fabricated and replaced. And plus, most of these Warbirds are tough and can recover quickly from belly landings. Being an experimental even makes this process easier.

So most accidents short of a total wreck, can be brought back. And many times the restoration gives you a plane that was in better condition than before the accident.

Remember, in the 1940's in Burma they used to nose their Warhawks over all the time in training, and have them back up and flying the next day.

Scott.

[danb12]

Having helped the guys over here dismantle this beautiful plane ready for shipping, seeing this is very sad but I think Scott is right. Hopefully it'll be back in the air as soon as it can be...

[pjc747]

This becomes much trickier if there was a prop strike, then a complete tear-down of the engine is required, and that is quite time consuming.

[Hobart Escin]

Scott is right on the money here; the P-40 in question will most certainly be repaired if all the resources are available.

This P-51 crashed outside of Rexburg, Idaho in 2006 (pilot walked away):



It has been completely rebuilt and flies today.

Full story here:

http://www.uvsj.com/news/article_df084f ... 5fece.html

[Cherokeepilot19]

Scott is right on the money here; the P-40 in question will most certainly be repaired if all the resources are available.

This P-51 crashed outside of Rexburg, Idaho in 2006 (pilot walked away):



It has been completely rebuilt and flies today.

Full story here:

http://www.uvsj.com/news/article_df084f ... 5fece.html

That should buff out...

[speedy70]

Its a bit like the axe.It has had five new handles and three new blades and it is original as used by President------

Hobart your remarks are soooo true.

[cflord]

What a bummer the P-40 had a gear problem. I'm sure they will get her back airworthy.

Keep the shiny side up and the dirty side down!

Ret SMSgt Cliff Lord - C-130 Flight Engineer & Mechanic

[Oracle427]

If the serial number plate is original... I guess that means it's the same aircraft?

[spacejunkee]

Did anyone notice this little tidbit in the caption under the photo?

This World War II P-40 fighter experienced landing gear failure at the New Smyrna Beach Municipal Airport on Wednesday afternoon and left a rut in the grass along the runway.

Oh boy, a rut in the grass, maan that is tragic!

[AKar]

If the serial number plate is original... I guess that means it's the same aircraft?

There are some instances where an aircraft engine has been so badly damaged that the options of overhauling it or scrapping it need to be weighted. Importantly, if that half of the crankcase that has the engine data plate is undamaged, the overhaul may be viable by basically replacing almost everything else, retaining the original S/N, but if that half with a plate is cracked, then the engine probably is a write-off.

-Esa

[Bomber_12th]

Yesterday the preliminary accident report was posted by the FAA. What it states actually happened is that the aircraft ground-looped, went off the runway, and that is what caused the gear to fold-under/collapse. So gear failure didn't cause the incident, the incident caused the gear failure. In a P-40B/C pilot report that was written by Steve Hinton in 2003, when he became the first to fly the type since WWII (the example owned by FHC), he stated that he had heard from several WWII pilots that had flown the Tomahawk and they warned that the type was prone to ground loops. Because of this, Hinton said that he was really on his toes during the early flights, but found the plane to be completely controllable.

In today's warbird restoration and buy & sell market, incidents like these are far from keeping the aircraft from flying again - if one individual/organization doesn't want to invest in the repairs, there are others who will (in this particular case, the aircraft was actually a donation to the Collings Foundation, after it was purchased from TFC by a private individual). All of the P-40B/C's flying today (4) of course started in much, much worse/far-gone condition. Of course the P-40B/C doesn't have anything close to the industry support (restoration/parts-build) that the P-51D/TF-51D and Spitfire has, but there are a couple shops that do specialize in P-40 restorations, including the one that was involved in restoring this particular example and the other B/C's that are flying.

The major concerns voiced in some warbird forums of the anticipated repair needs have centered around the very rare "long-nose" Allison engine, the rare (correct) Curtiss-Electric prop blades, and the potential that the damage around the gear fittings/wing is extensive enough to require the wings to be fixtured in order to be repaired as deep as the damage might extend. According to an individual on the WIX forums who has been involved with the aircraft in years past, the engine fitted to this particular aircraft actually has a history going back to use in China with the AVG.