Cessna L-19 recovered after 47 years

• Aug 15, 2005

• #1

evangilder

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Interesting

A Cessna L-19 Bird Dog was recovered on Saturday from the bottom of a Minnesota lake, where it had rested beneath 40 feet of water since 1958. The recovery team used a large winch mounted on a pontoon boat to hoist the airplane, then towed it to shore. Divers also found a flight log, parachutes and headphones. The wreck was discovered by accident in July 2004, when fishermen in search of walleye scanned the area with an underwater camera. The Army airplane crashed after the pilot, Capt. Richard P. Carey, reported he was low on fuel and then apparently hit some seagulls and crashed into the lake. Carey was killed and his body was recovered two weeks later, but the aircraft was never found. Local organizations, including an American Legion post and an EAA chapter, plan to restore the airplane and display it as a memorial to its pilot.

Click to expand...

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• #2

Nonskimmer

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Nov 11, 2004

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Wow, what a great discovery. I mean it's a shame about the pilot, but it's nice that the Legion and the EAA plan to restore the plane.

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• #3

FLYBOYJ

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WOW!

There are 22 Bird Dogs sitting at an Army base in Thailand, US property. When I was there in 2000, the base commander told me if you could figure a way to get the state dept. to turn them over to you, the're yours!

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• Thread starter
• #4

evangilder

"Shooter"

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Getting a response out of the state department might be more work than restoring this one!

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• #5

Nonskimmer

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22 of them? I wonder why they just left them there.

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• Thread starter
• #6

evangilder

"Shooter"

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Probably left over in case some spooks want to use them at some future date. Joe, were they in flyable condition, or just left to rot?

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• #7

Gnomey

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Good find, shame about the pilot but at least it is now being restored in memory of him

 

• Aug 15, 2005

• #8

Nonskimmer

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evangilder said:

Probably left over in case some spooks want to use them at some future date.

Click to expand...

Hmmm. Could be.

 

• Aug 17, 2005

• #9

FLYBOYJ

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Nonskimmer said:

22 of them? I wonder why they just left them there.

Click to expand...

They were old MAP planes. The Thai army replaced them with T-41s. They were actually in great shape! I got some fuzzy photos of them, I'll try to post them when I get back to Colorado.

 

• Aug 17, 2005

• #10

Nonskimmer

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That'd be great. Thanks, FJ.

 

• Aug 23, 2005

• #11

FLYBOYJ

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Hey, here they are

 

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• Aug 23, 2005

• #12

Nonskimmer

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Ah, right on. Thanks.

 

• Aug 23, 2005

• Thread starter
• #13

evangilder

"Shooter"

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Looks like at least one had a cockpit stripped.

 

• Aug 23, 2005

• #14

FLYBOYJ

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Yes - I showed how they varied from one extreme to another. Airframe wise they were all in great shape, although they had these hornets nested in some of them. The little buggers were tiny, their stinger couldn't penetrate the skin, but you could feel a pinch eveytime one of them tried to sting you!

One of the "Honchos" there told me that if you could find the right contact at the US State Deparment, you could have them. He also said they were taking up room on his base!

 

• Nov 7, 2009

• #15

F

Farang

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Not sure if these are the same aircraft as refrered to earlier but these pictures were taken in 2007. They need a good home.

 

• Nov 7, 2009

• #16

F

Farang

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The pictures;

 

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• Nov 8, 2009

• #17

gumbyk

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Hmmm, If they've been sitting there for 9 years, wouldn't they be classed as 'abandoned'?

I know that anything that was left behind when the US pulled out of Vietnam, the US Govt didn't want to know about. Basically, as far as they were concerned, they didn't exist. Different situations, I know, but they US have walked away and abandoned them.

 

• Nov 8, 2009

• #18

vikingBerserker

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Oh man, that's a shame.

 

• Nov 8, 2009

• #19

FLYBOYJ

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The pic I took were at Lo Pori (sp?) Army Air Base. Where was those pictures taken at?

 

• Nov 11, 2009

• #20

ian lanc

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mansfield, nottinghamshire

hmmm ! Maybe we could fuel one up and pinch one they look uncared for.