Nasty F4U accident with bomb.

[CharlesBronson]

Corea, 1953.


View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbD3wTz3KQ0

 

[Flyboy2]

Oh shoot!!

Did it just come off the hardpoint?

 

[Doughboy]

What an unfortunate accident.

 

[vikingBerserker]

That's gotta stink, and I hope the guy lived.

Perhaps it's my macabre streak, but I wonder if he got credit for it?

 

[Colin1]

What the hell was he doing bringing it back in the first place?
Putting down on an airfield is a no-no with underslung ordnance, putting down on a carrier is just asking for trouble, surely?

 

[Gnomey]

Just what I was thinking Colin. Why did he still have it, it could of been a problem with the release mechanism and it got hung-up on the rack and came off when she landed. Still you would of thought the pilot would of at least try to get it off. Hope the pilot was all right though.

 

[CharlesBronson]

That's gotta stink, and I hope the guy lived.

According to the german reporter the cameraman did not survived. No data about the F4U pilot.

 

[Colin1]

No data about the F4U pilot

I'd argue
there's a good chance he survived. The F4U provides the pilot with a bathtub of solid metal to sit in, plus the engine and it was all pretty much between him and the bomb.
The other factor is that the exploding bomb had plenty of everywhere else to go ie it wasn't really contained and that's when explosive ordnance is at its most dangerous.
Pretty tough on the photographer/reporter though

 

[CharlesBronson]

Is possible but the airplane would be wrecked and probably cath fire. But I agree with you, specially considering the high nose attitude of the Corsair , the engine almost cover entirely the pilot from a blast in the 12 o clock position like the one of the bomb in this video.

 

[Matt308]

Looked like a bomb less than 250lb. Even more likely of bomb about 100lb? Anyone know US bomb sizes? I have a reference book upstairs with listings, but am too lazy to look it up before my post.

 

[CharlesBronson]

I would say more than 100...

 

[Matt308]

I don't know, CB. Looks like a 100lb GP bomb to me.

British and American Bombs of WWII

1. RAF 22,000 lb Grand Slam, the largest high-explosive bomb ever made

2. RAF 12,000 lb Tallboy, used for breaking through the concrete roofs of U-boat pens

3. USAAF 4000 lb Blockbuster

4. USAAF 2000 lb Blockbuster

5. USAAF 1000 lb armor-piercing bomb

6. USAAF 500 lb standard demolition bomb

7. USAAF 100 lb bomb with nose fuse;

 

[CharlesBronson]

Humm, is possible seeing the size of the 100 pounders, is quite large for a 45 kilos bomb.