64-17657
| B-26K-1 Invader | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 | |||
| Builders: Douglas Aircraft Company On Mark Engineering | |||
| Operators: United States Air Force | |||
| Number Built: 40 | |||
| First Built: Jan 1963 (YB-26K) First test flight | |||
| GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS | |||
| Type: Light Attack Bomber | |||
| Weight: 25,130 lbs empty 37,000 lbs loaded | |||
| Length: 51' 7 3/16" (inc. guns) | |||
| Height: 19' 0" | |||
| Wingspan: 71'6" (including wingtip tanks) | |||
| Wing Area: 540 Sq. Feet (50.17 m²) | |||
| Speed: 169 mph (cruising) | |||
| Max Speed: 323 mph | |||
| Ceiling: 28,600' | |||
| Powerplant: Pratt & Whitney R-2800-103W | |||
| Horsepower: 2,500 | |||
| Fuel Capacity: 1,600 US Gallons | |||
| Range: 700 miles w/3518 lbs payload 1,480 miles empty | |||
| Crew: 2 | |||
| Passengers: 1 | |||
| ARMAMENT | |||
| Nose Guns: 8x .50 caliber guns | |||
| Dorsal Turret: None | |||
| Ventral Turret: None | |||
| Payload: 8,000 lbs on wings 4,000 lbs internal | |||
| Donate | |||
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| Even a small donation of a couple of dollars goes a long way in helping | |||
See also: List of Invaders by Serial Number, Serial Numbers starting with 64
Converted from 43-22649.
Sold to Civil Market. Registered as N62104, then N99218.
Operational History
11 Nov 1964 - Accepted into USAF Inventory from OnMark Engineering Company at Van Nuys, CA. [1]
14 Nov 1964 - Assigned to 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [1]
Note: Some sources incorrectly list the both dates above as 12 Nov.
6 May 1966 - Designation changed from B-26K to A-26A while with the 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [2]
9 May 1966 - Sent to Maracay AB for field repairs. [2]
21 Jul 1966 - Returned to Combat Capable status at Maracay AB [2]
22 Jul 1966 - Sent back to 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [2]
27 Jul 1966 - Underwent Field maintenance at Howard AFB with the 605th Air Commando Squadron. [2]
23 Aug 1966 - Returned to Combat Capable at Howard AFB with the 605th Air Commando Squadron. [2]
NOTE: The Maracay AB listed here is probably the modern-day El Libertador Air Base in Maracay, Venezuela. I don't have much information on what kind of work was performed at that base or why the plane was sent there other than for some kind of repair or modification work.
5 May 1967 - 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [3]
31 May 1967 - Reconciliation with 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [3]
9 Sep 1967 - Combat capable with 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [3]
4 Jan 1968 - Sacramento Air Material Commando (SMAAR) at McLellan AFB. [4]
11 Jan 1968 - 605th Air Commando Squadron at Howard AFB. [4]
18 Jan 1968 - Sacramento Air Material Commando (SMAAR) at McLellan AFB. [4]
28 Apr 1968 - Left SMAAR Facility. Assigned to 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [4]
29 Apr 1968 - Arrived with 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [4]
7 Jul 1968 - 1st Air Commando Wing renamed 1st Special Operations Wing. [4]
4 Mar 1969 - 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [5]
1 Jul 1969 - 603rd Special Operations Squadron moved to Hurlburt Field. [5]
23 Oct 1969 - Arrived at Davis-Monthan AFB from 606th Special Operations Squadron, 1st Special Operations Wing, Eglin AFB, FL. [5][6]
It was allocated PCN AD002. [7]
.
27 Oct 1969 - Security Assistance Program Hold Storage at Davis-Monthan. [5]
NOTE: The Aerospace Vehicle Report shows 657 as part of the 603rd SOS, but Davis-Monthan records say it was a 606th SOS plane. The 606th record is incorrect, no Invaders were still assigned to the 606th in 1969, according to the AVH report.
15 Dec 1972 - Declared Excess and approved for reclamation[6]
Davis-Monthan records show this plane was transferred to United States Navy as PCN 7A001, but there is no outbound transfer date. There's a second entry with no transfer in date when the US Navy returned the plane to Davis-Monthan. It is doubtful that this plane ever left Davis-Monthan, if it did, it would have been assigned a new PCN, which was not the case.[8]. The transfer seems to have been cancelled before completed for some reason.
25 Jul 1974 - Went from Davis-Monthan and sold to Arthur W McDonnell, Lancaster, CA as N62104. (Baugher's site incorrectly lists the date of this sale as Nov 1972, but the aircraft had not been dropped from service by that time.)
5 Dec 1974 - Sold again in Civil market as N99218.
Nov 1975 - Damaged in a landing accident at Edwards AFB, CA when the nose gear collapsed.
9 Feb 1978 - Crashed on approach to Chino, CA. The wreck was dismantled and saved for parts, part in storage at Air Museum, Chino, CA..
21 Jul 1986 - Rod & Rex Cadman bought the wreck and it was imported to Canterbury, Kent, England to assist with restoring A-26C 44-34172, in particular the forward fuselage.
Apr 1988 - The nose section and cockpit is on display at the Booker Aircraft Museum until 1994.
The nose section is presently on display at the Wings Museum in Balcombe, East Essex, UK.
Accidents
Unknown
Crew
Unknown
Disposition
Partially on display.
Images
In storage at Davis-Monthan.
.jpg)
After being sold to Civil market, air racer Wally McDonnel. Note the nose guns are removed.
64-17657 wearing a glass nose and showing some serious wear.
.jpg)
The wreckage of 64-17657 during a landing attempt in California in Feb 1978.
Sources
Databases searched:
- AAIR -
- MACR -
- KORWALD -
- Baugher
http://www.amarcexperience.com/ui/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=20045&Itemid=220
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, Oct-Dec 1964" Reel AVH-2, Pg 599 USAFHRA
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1966" Reel AVH-6, Pg 1945 USAFHRA
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1967" Reel AVH-8, Pg 2750 USAFHRA
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1968" Reel AVH-10, Pg 2371 USAFHRA
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1969" Reel AVH-13, Pg 2203 USAFHRA
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 www.amarcexperience.com
- ↑ Correspondence with Vesto Haas - 25 Aug 2022
- ↑ Correspondence with Vesto Haas - 25 Aug 2022