Florida B-17s!

[camshaw]

somebody needs to go run a magnatomitor and a side scan over that lake!

[michael barnette]

In late August 1952, a B-17 bomber was shot down by a F-86D over the Gulf of Mexico approximately 50 miles south of Panama City, Florida. The fighter pilot mistook the bomber for a radio-controlled drone B-17 that was controlled by the shot-down manned B-17. One of the 8-man crew survived the incident.
From The New York Times, August 26, 1952.

[Chris Brame]

Two survivors, actually:

This was DB-17G 44-83680 according to aerovintage.com; link here:
http://www.aerovintage.com/b17news3.htm (scroll down to the next-to-last item in November 2003 News)
One thing the contemporary accounts fail to mention: If the drone director was shot down, where did the drone B-17 go?

[cptsmith]

Lake Arbuckle is to the left as you go through the gate at Avon Park, there is also a fishing camp right before the gate and alot of gators. Another B-17 crashed in pasture near there after it came apart in the air. Big pieces lay in the open until the 70s-80s.

[_evan]

I have been looking for the crash report that would match up to the eyewitness testimonials about the plane going down in the lake and I haven't found anything. No plane crashes line up to the hurricanes they had that year. I haven't lost hope on finding the report just yet though. Is anyone wanting to get a search team together? I think this plane is a good candidate for a search. PM me if your interested in looking for it and we can try to get something together.


-Evan

[camshaw]

the deepest part of that lake is 12 feet. so that means either the lake was once deeper and the plane is probably covered in over 15-20' of mudd?

[_evan]

the deepest part of that lake is 12 feet. so that means either the lake was once deeper and the plane is probably covered in over 15-20' of mudd?

I have looked around and the lake appears to be about 50 feet deep in certain spots.

[camshaw]

well if thats the case i stand corrected. the search i did must have the wrong data. 50' is great news. but being florida i still wouldnt start running search grids without a magnotometer as im sure the mud is above the fuseloge! what a great adventure!!! wish i was closer!!

[Boeing666]

There should be a ton of Martin B-26s in Tampa Bay around MacDill AFB, the old saying was "One a Day into Tampa Bay" - of course being that Tampa Bay is salty, they would be very corroded.

Add a couple F-101s in the Panama City area that just got turned into artificial reefs - I found that out the hard way when I saw the one at Gulf Coast Community College and the one by the downtown marina gone last November - Google maps still show them

[_evan]

There are a TON of crash reports on b-26s in flordia. I now own a list of every crash report that happened in flordia and there were a lot of b-26s-P-51s and P-47s going down in oceans or lakes.


The lake next to lake arbuckle supposedly has a b-26 in it too but I haven't looked for that crash report yet.

[davidwomacks]

Anyone know of any wrecks around the lake placid area? Ie in the lakes around the city is lake june /sterns, lake placid,lake grassy,lake Henry

[cptsmith]

The only crash I know of near Lake Placid was a B-25 that went down in the Venus area. There was also a fighter that crashed in Lake Istapoga but it must have been salvaged at the time, because when they had a drought a few yers ago you could see the lake bottom on approach to Sebring. The Dove was about 70 yards from the water line.

[michael barnette]

I now own a list of every crash report that happened in flordia and there were a lot of b-26s-P-51s and P-47s going down in oceans or lakes.

Hi _evan-
Do you just have a list of lost aircraft or do you happen to have the actual incident/accident reports? I am trying to track down a couple of specific FL crash reports and have been in limbo with the USAF FOIA people for over 5 months now...
Thanks!
Cheers,
Mike

[michael barnette]

Hmm, how many posts are needed to send or reply to a PM?

[_evan]

I now own a list of every crash report that happened in flordia and there were a lot of b-26s-P-51s and P-47s going down in oceans or lakes.

Hi _evan-
Do you just have a list of lost aircraft or do you happen to have the actual incident/accident reports? I am trying to track down a couple of specific FL crash reports and have been in limbo with the USAF FOIA people for over 5 months now...
Thanks!
Cheers,
Mike

I don't have the actual crash reports, Just a list of every plane accident that happened in FL with the USAF