64-17673: Difference between revisions
(→Crew) |
|||
| Line 37: | Line 37: | ||
==Crew== | ==Crew== | ||
Cpt. [[Neal | Cpt. [[Neal Emil Monette]] - Pilot - KIA<br> | ||
Maj. [[John Vincent Callanan]] - Navigator - KIA | Maj. [[John Vincent Callanan]] - Navigator - KIA | ||
Revision as of 03:36, 23 February 2021
| 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 | |||
 | |||
| 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 44-34135.
Operational History
7 Mar 1965 - Accepted into USAF Inventory from OnMark Engineering Company in Van Nuys, CA [1]
8 Mar 1965 - Assigned to 1st Air Commando Wing at Hurlburt Field[1]
17 Dec 1965 - 1st Air Commando Wing moved from Hurlburt Field to England AFB[1]
10 May 1966 - Designation changed from B-26K to A-26A while with 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [2]
31 Oct 1966 - Assigned to 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [2]
16 Nov 1966 - Assigned to 603rd Air Command Squadron at England AFB. [2]
1 Dec 1966 - Assigned to 1st Air Commando Wing at England AFB. [2]
21 Dec 1966 - Assigned to 634th Combat Support Group at Nakhon Phanom Air Base. [3]
10 Jul 1967 - Assigned to Sacramento Air Material Area (SMAAR) at McLellan AFB. [3]
6 Dec 1967 - Assigned to 56th Air Commando Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base. [3]
10 Dec 1967 - Arrived at 56th Air Commando Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base. [3]
28 Dec 1967 - Combat capable at 56th Air Commando Wing at Nakhon Phanom Air Base. [3]
2 Aug 1968 - 56th Air Commando Squadron renamed to 56th Special Operations Wing.[4]
11 Mar 1969 - Destroyed in accident.[5] Crashed in circuit at Nakhon Phanom when it ran out of fuel while checking a landing gear problem. 2 KIA.
Accidents
11 Mar 1969 - Crashed due to fuel starvation and landing gear problem.
According to a friend of the pilot, Captain Callanan, "He died in a crash landing at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand, after returning from a night interdiction mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Central Laos. While preparing to land, he and his pilot had a cockpit indication that one of the wheels was not down and locked. They attempted to get positive verification from ground observers that the landing gear was down, and made several low and slow passes over the flight line. On the last one, about midway down the field, the right engine quit because of fuel starvation and the plane rolled to the left and went straight into the ground. There were no survivors."
Crew
Cpt. Neal Emil Monette - Pilot - KIA
Maj. John Vincent Callanan - Navigator - KIA
Disposition
Destroyed in accident.
Images
673 at Nakhon Phanom Air Base in 1968.
The original captions that came with this set of photos below stated that the identity of the plane was not known, but that it was crash at NKP which resulted in the plane being written off. Only two planes crashed at NKP, both due to fuel starvation as a contributing factor. One plane, 64-17643, was an RB-26K variant with a glass nose. This photo set clearly shows that the plane had a gun-nose, which makes it 64-17673 by process of elimination. The details of the crash for 673 say that the crash was likely due to fuel starvation and a main gear failure and that both the pilot and the copilot were killed. The images here are in line with that description of the events. Further ID can be made by comparing the navigator's side engine cowling. In image #3 below there is a light square of paint on the forward, outboard, starboard engine cowl. If you examine the photo above you can see this same, lighter color spot just behind the man working on the engine.
Sources
Databases searched:
- AAIR -
- MACR -
- Baugher - http://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1964.html
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1965" Reel AVH-4, Pg 1959 USAFHRA
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1966" Reel AVH-6, Pg 1948 USAFHRA
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1967" Reel AVH-8, Pg 2753 USAFHRA
- ↑ "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1968" Reel AVH-10, Pg 2372 USAFHRA
- ↑ "Aerospace Vehicle Report, 1969" Reel AVH-13, Pg 2205 USAFHRA