Look what i found need lots of help.

[phat1]

Hello from panama central america.I was down by the river watching the fishermen come back with their catch.One of the small boats had this prop tangled in their nets and they dropped it off on the beach.I purchased the prop to showcase at my restaurant.What i need to know is the history of this piece.Is it american,what plane did it come from,how old is it,where can i find part numbers.In the end i would like to find out about the pilot ,did he survive and why did he end up in the ocean?The prop was found offshore of rio hauto panama.Here are some pics of the prop

 

[herman1rg]

Could you get some close up pictures of the central hub?

 

[phat1]

I will get some close up pics of the hub and post them later today ok here are the pics of the hub.

 

[vikingBerserker]

Very cool, and great find!

 

[GrauGeist]

Definately looks like it was in motion when it struck the water...

Wonder if the rest of the aircraft is intact down there...

 

[Milosh]

Nice find.

The distance from the hub to the tip, so as to determine diameter, might be a help in IDing.

 

[stona]

Also see if you can find any letters or numbers stamped on any of the parts.
Cheers
Steve

 

[phat1]

Its in large pieces,they tell me its more then one plane,one with a smaller prop and one a very large prop possible helicopter.I am going to buy a under water camera and they are going to let me take pics.They wont tell everybody because there are lots of fish using this wreakage as a home.

 

[phat1]

Could anybody explain why the prop wing tips are bent forward.Should they be bent back when the plane hit the ocean?

 

[bob44]

I believe during impact, a prop under power will bend forward. A prop without power bends backward.

 

[mikewint]

Bob44, you are correct, forward bent props meant the engine was making power when it hit. When you sink a prop into the ground or water with a load of power, neither ground or water will compress, this coupled with the fact that the rest of the aircraft is typically decellerating VERY quickly, causes the prop blades to bend themselves forward by "climbing" forward on their pitch. If all the blades are bent backwards, it means that the engine was turning, but not producing power. One or 2 bent back means the engine wasn't turning when it went in.

 

[VBF-13]

That is awesome! Great pics, too! Is it being displayed inside your restaurant? That is awesome! Oh, I said that.

 

[phat1]

Here is a part number stamped into the large bevel gear 143640 Can this give me any information as to the plane.or its year and what type of plane this was into? Appreciate all the help i can get.

 

[bobbysocks]

Definately looks like it was in motion when it struck the water...

Wonder if the rest of the aircraft is intact down there...

i was wondering that too. can you ask the fisherman how deep was the water where he pulled that up? if he knows the location and the depth isnt very deep it might be worth a trip out with a snorkel or scuba tank.

 

[A4K]

Great find mate! That number sounds American, will check the net.

 

[Deuelly]

It's a Curtiss Electric prop. but I'm still looking into the gear number. The gears aren't Allison as far as I can tell so maybe a radial aircraft like a P-36.

 

[Deuelly]

Did a little digging and it looks like it's part of the gears and nose case for an r-1830.