Whatever happened to that B-26 pulled from a lake in Yukon?

[Maty12]

Hi all, does anyone know what happened to this B-26 nose section?

My understanding is that it is 40-1453 of the 77th Bombardment Squadron, which overran the runway landing at Watson Lake in snow on 16 January 1942 while on its way to Alaska (to join the 28th Composite Group, not to be sent to Russia like the article claims). The section is separated at the production break and was likely dumped into the lake by itself. It was recovered from the lake by Brian and John Jasman in 2009 and confiscated by the government of Yukon. There seem to be no high resolution photos of it, and I've found no news about it at all since 2009.

Photo from before it was dumped in the lake:

View: https://www.flickr.com/photos/23057174@N02/3712690275/

News stories about it:
Recovered WW II bomber, bombs cause stir in Watson Lake | CBC News
Charges laid against Calgary men over vintage bomber in Yukon lake | CBC News

Thanks for any info,
-Maty

 

[MiTasol]

No - news to me but I am very interested to learn more.

I was one of the crew lead by Al Reddik and including Jim Maloney and others who salvaged the three out of "million dollar valley" in 71 and shipped them to Chino. Three others are well known in the industry and I will not name them to keep them free from being bothered by Yukon people.

 

[Snautzer01]

Chat gpt:
As of now, there is no publicly available information detailing the current status or location of the recovered nose section.
For more detailed information or potential updates, contacting the Yukon Transportation Museum or the Government of Yukon's heritage department may provide further insights.

 

[Maty12]

I have sent an email to the Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture asking about the airframe's status and their plans for it, as well as whether I can share their reponse or not. Have also requested photos. Will report back.

 

[zachary361]

No - news to me but I am very interested to learn more.

I was one of the crew lead by Al Reddik and including Jim Maloney and others who salvaged the three out of "million dollar valley" in 71 and shipped them to Chino. Three others are well known in the industry and I will not name them to keep them free from being bothered by Yukon people.

There's still a large chunk of the remaining fuselage in million dollar valley, you can see it from google earth.

What others are you referring to ? I have a tail fin, engine cowling cover and 2 wing flaps from a B-26.

 

[Snautzer01]

I have sent an email to the Yukon Department of Tourism and Culture asking about the airframe's status and their plans for it, as well as whether I can share their reponse or not. Have also requested photos. Will report back.

Any news?

 

[Maty12]

Any news?

I have not received a reply unfortunately. I did email two people because the first one was away from the office, so there is a slight possibility of hearing back when they return.

 

[Maty12]

Great news, everyone! I have heard back from the Government of Yukon. The airframe is indeed 40-1453 and it is in secure indoor storage at Whitehorse. It has undergone corrosion assessment and treatment. They have also allowed me to share the following photos, which I very much appreciate:

As stated in the original post, the section recovered from the lake was only the forward fuselage (this is part # R-257076 on the B-26-MA). Many internal parts were removed from it between the 16 January 1942 crash landing and its eventual disposal into the lake, and it was also used for target practice during this time given the bullet holes (40-1453 did not see combat). The fate of the rest of the airframe is unclear, but it is not in the lake. Personally, I am very glad that the forward fuselage is indoors and efforts have been made to prevent further corrosion, and I hope that it is eventually placed on public display in Canada.

The Government of Yukon has also allowed me to share a document comparing the airframe before and after corrosion treatment has been applied, which I've attached below:

 

[Maty12]

Quick correction: that black and white photo from flickr on the first post is not of 40-1453, but seems to be of 40-1461, another Marauder that crashed at Watson Lake on the same day. Per PacificWrecks/Joe Baugher:

USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-26 40-1453
USAAF Form No. 14 Aircraft Accident Report
"Pilot, attempting to make an emergency landing in poor light, skidded down the runway about 100 yards and ran into a snow bank. The plane was damaged beyond repair."
On January 16, 1942 crashed while attempting to make an emergency landing at Watson Lake at dusk. This aircraft skidded then ran into a snow bank, damaging it beyond repair. Ultimate fate unknown, likely scrapped or otherwise disappeared.

USAF Serial Number Search Results - B-26 40-1461
"1461 W/o Jan 16, 1942 at White Horse, Canada"
USAAF Form No. 14 Aircraft Accident Report
"Plane nosed into a snow bank. Right propeller hit snow bank and ground and pierced cabin. The plane was damaged beyond repair.
On January 16, 1942 crashed during take off from White Horse Airfield at 3:00pm when the nose wheel began to shimmy and right propeller ran away.

With the benefit of new photos of 40-1453, the damage suffered by the two aircraft is very different, with the plane pictured having a large hole on the right side of the cockpit, most likely caused by a piece of the propeller piercing the cabin as stated in the accident report for 40-1461.

Edit: 40-1461 crashed on takeoff at Whitehorse, not at Watson Lake.