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According the Kaneohe After Action Report that I have, A Japanese plane was shot down by NAS Kaneohe and crashed into Kailua Bay. The report also states that no salvage was made of this aircraft. I have found no other references regarding this wreck. It most likely crashed at a high speed and high angle so that the debris would be small pieces and spread out.
Furthermore, the Bellows Field After Action Report also mentions a plane diving at high speed into Kailua Bay. Again at the time it was believed to be a Japanese plane. It is only much later determined that the Japanese did not lose a plane in the area. SO for both NAS Kaneohe and Bellows Field personnel to have seen the plane drive into the water, the wreck must be in Kailua Bay between the two.
For Dave.....have you pulled out a chart of that area and developed a search box(es) based on the field of view angles of the eyewitnesses on the ground at both bases? Intersecting those lines the two bases (eyewitnesses at both bases) were looking might help pinpoint possible impact locations. You would create your searchbox(es) based off of the impact locations you developed from the ground eyewitness intersects. You also might be able to determine the direction Sterling was heading based on the aerial eyewitnesses. If you were able to determine one or both of those, that might help re-create possible areas of impact into the water. Another also.....the eyewitness intersects might also show the angle of approach to the water right before impact. That would be handy in determining how big or small of a debris field, if any, there might be. John