Need help with ID of aircraft parts found in Hawaii

[MiTasol]

Fantastic. I love that crystal clear water in the background of several of the photos.

I will see what I can find on the various numbers from the aircorpslibrary.com site as I have no P-47 publications of my own.

83145-B is the thermocouple adapter and used on R-2800 and R-4360 engines. The symbol

is probably an inspection stamp but it is not one I recognize and it would almost certainly be a subcontractor stamp anyway.

The 96R67012 number seems to be the solution - P-47M and later used parts with the 96 prefix and that exact format so lets see what turns up

96X61005-n is the powerplant, so that ties in.

A little searching finds this one 96P67012 and given how hard it was to see that number misreading a P as an R is insignificant. Congratulations

Reading the usage data there are 9 -1 variants, 8 -2 and 1 -4 per aircraft and it was used on the P47M and later aircraft (unless superseded later). So now "all" you have to do is find the serial of a P47M or later that crashed in that area and the case is closed/solved/etc.

Have fun

 

[captain Frey]

Hi,
perhaps with this link you can find P47M serial and info :

Orange

 

[BlackSheep]

Ok so I managed to get back into the valley to find these parts and take more photos/video.

Here are some shots of the cylinder head with what I hope are part numbers on the exhaust pipe.

Let me know what you think:

View attachment 658710

View attachment 658711


View attachment 658712

View attachment 658713

View attachment 658714

View attachment 658715


View attachment 658716

View attachment 658717

The part number on the above piece reads: 83145-B

The exhaust pipe did have some numbers and letters on it but it just so happened they were on the side which is bent back against the head and so I could barely get my cvamera to see them. If only I have my eyes from five years ago with their 20/10 vision I swear I could've read them no problem.

Here is what I was able to capture there:


View attachment 658718


I believe the stamping reads: 96R67012

View attachment 658719


Above those numbers appear to be the letters "BUHR" of possibly "BURR" but then become unreadable until the end which appears to read 11 R
View attachment 658727

This part of the pipe has what appears to read as: (OK
stamped on it but I don't see anything beyond that.


View attachment 658728

Lastly i noticed this symbol on one of the pipe flanges. I'm not sure if it helps.

I also got some more shots of the ammo feed shoot:

View attachment 658729


View attachment 658730

View attachment 658731


View attachment 658732

This is the largest piece found:


View attachment 658734

View attachment 658735

The piece above has a hinge inside of it:


View attachment 658736

I have a few more pictures but I've run out of space here. I also have a video which is basically the cylinder head from every angle so if there is a specific angle you need let me know and i will freeze frame it for you.

Thanks again for your time everyone!

I am so jealous right now, I love this type of exploring and puzzle solving.

 

[MiTasol]

Hi,
perhaps with this link you can find P47M serial and info :

Orange

Good one. That should be quicker than Index of /usaf_serials

 

[Snautzer01]

Silly me but wouldnt it be much easier go to the local newspaper and ask what aircraft crashed in that region? Cant be many now can it?

 

[MiTasol]

You are right IF the local paper has archives going back that far and IF the paper still exists

Many here in Aus do not have archives and many of the papers that existed in the 40s thru 80s no longer exist.

Two or three years ago what was for years (pre Murdoch) the biggest newspaper chain in Aus bit the dust.

I suspect that this, or similar, applies in many countries.

 

[Snautzer01]

You are right IF the local paper has archives going back that far and IF the paper still exists

Many here in Aus do not have archives and many of the papers that existed in the 40s thru 80s no longer exist.

Two or three years ago what was for years (pre Murdoch) the biggest newspaper chain in Aus bit the dust.

I suspect that this, or similar, applies in many countries.

i found in a sec Hawaii newspaper guide

You can find articles from Hawaii's diverse newspapers going back as far as 1929. Digital articles are available online. Indexed articles may be available in print or on microfilm.

 

[Tony Kambic]

i found in a sec Hawaii newspaper guide

You can find articles from Hawaii's diverse newspapers going back as far as 1929. Digital articles are available online. Indexed articles may be available in print or on microfilm.

As I recall, Kermit Weeks had these ammo boxes made for his Corsair.

 

[vikingBerserker]

You could try searching on AAIR's database. They allow search on aircraft and location.

AAIR - Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research

AAIR, Aviation Archaeological Investigation & Research, is a source of U. S. military aircraft accident reports, pictures of aircraft crash sites, MACRs (Missing Air Crew Reports) and individual aircraft history cards and historical research. Historic aircraft crash site surveys, search and...

www.aviationarchaeology.com

 

[Tony Kambic]

As I recall, Kermit Weeks had these ammo boxes made for his Corsair. View attachment 658970

My mistake. These were madefor a F6F Hellcat.

 

[Son of Gort]

Well I must thank you all for your help in identifying this aircraft.

Apparently these are pieces of the wreck of 2nd Lt. Frank J. Smith's F-47N. A pilot of the Hawaiian Air National Guard, his engine caught fire which spread to his cockpit forcing him to ditch his plane in the Moanalua Valley. It was the Moanalua Valley Trail where I found the pieces.

Fortunately he survived the incident and the Guard never investigated the wreck or sought to recover it since the pilot returned.

Once again I thank you all for helping me put this mystery to rest!

 

[GrauGeist]

It was a great adventure, though!