Warbird Information Exchange

I found this in my inherited albums...
August 1982 a Columbian DC-6 loaded with tons of Marijuana lands in a field in Texas and the crew gets away...

Anyone remember this?
I can't find anymore information about it.
Did they fly it out of the field?
Did the plane survive?
Where is she now?

Who flew the thing?

8 tons?

8 tons wouldn't be a problem in a DC-6BF,especially if you weren't worried about being legal.The B model DC-6 air tankers used to routinely carry 27.000 lbs of fire retardant with 2.5 to 3 hours of fuel.

Great photos. The plane looks to be in pretty good shape, wonder what happened to it?

I'll do some checking but if this is the same DC-6 incident that I used to hear about when I lived in Tucson (82-92), then it's a really interesting story. It involves a certain AZ Air National Guard pilot/officer/businessman. You know, back in the days when drug running was more of a gentleman's sport. Before the Columbians ruined it.

astixjr wrote:You know, back in the days when drug running was more of a gentleman's sport. Before the Columbians ruined it.

Mmmmn...yes, free pink 'n red "neckties" to all competitors does tend to remove
the "sport" from the game, Al.

Remember the recruiting "PSA" Firesign Theatre had on one of their records for
the Free Mexican Air Force? I'd post the words, except I'm not sure Tulio
or our other Hispanic friends, would appreciate the humour too much.
Dunno whether it falls in the category of niche cultural history or being
improper PC these days...it was a hoot back in the day...to my Hispanic friends as well.

I looked at every entry in the DC-6 section of my copy of the "Piston Engine Airliner Production List" (Oct.2002) by A.B.Eastwood and J.Roach.There are a few possible culprits,but the registration in the pictures in this thread appear to be HP-503.I'll copy the entry for that airplane even though all of the info and dates don't necessarily match:

"c/n 43524, fuselage no. 231, DC-6B
N6524C Pan American World Airways "Clipper Pocahontas" del 5.4.52;
Capital Airlines leased 14. 2.60;
Pan American World Airways "Clipper Essen" returned 5.61;
Pan Americam World Airways "Clipper Meteor" new name;
Withdrawn from use and stored Miami,Florida 3.68;
Air Lease Inc. bought 17. 9.68;
HP-503 Inair Panama bought 12. 3.70;
Converted to DC-6B(F) 4.75;
Inair Panama "Ciudad de Colon" named;
HP-523 Inair Panama re-registered 6.75;
Monarch Aviation bought 9.79;
N6524C Monarch Aviation re-registered 23. 9.79;
HP-503 Monarch Aviation re-registered 9.11.79;
HP-523 Monarch Aviation re-registered 9.11.79;
Inair Panama leased 2.12.79;
Withdrawn from use and stored .90"

Of couse,nothing would stop a smuggler from painting a bogus registration number on another DC-6.The book also listed a few other DC-6As,DC-6B(F)'s and C-118's that were siezed by U.S Customs,the FAA,or a South American government at approximately the correct time period (1979-1985).None of the entries mentioned a drug drop in Texas.There's also a sizable gap in the history of HP-503 between the 1979 lease date and the 1990 WFU date that could include an unscheuled stop in Texas.

I have a friend who is a retired ATP pilot and he lives in Navarro County, he even has a small private airstrip on his land. He didn't mention any DC-6 flying, but you never know.

I just found out that the plane I heard about was a C-54 (DC-4). It was not this DC-6. The event occured in the late 70s or early 80s.

It was pretty common to steal a plane and just abandon it as well. Possibly the owners got this one back? I know there are a good number crashed in the Atchafalaya River Basin and the marshes down in South Louisiana as well.

did the same thing in Georgia, used a dozer to clear out an LZ on the top of a mountain, flew in, landed safely, unloaded the dope, and hauled A Double S from the scene never to be seen again. Can't recall who flew the plane out, but they government got her outta there

gary1954 wrote:did the same thing in Georgia, used a dozer to clear out an LZ on the top of a mountain, flew in, landed safely, unloaded the dope, and hauled A Double S from the scene never to be seen again. Can't recall who flew the plane out, but they government got her outta there

Actually, they didn't get the pot out of the airplane. A passing trucker saw the airplane "go down", reported a crash (good 'ol CB radios), and the police showed up pretty quickly considering this was at night out in the sticks NE of Atlanta. The flight crew and the labor escaped, 'cause the police were looking for a crashed airplane, not drug runners.

The govt bolted on a few JATO units and did fly the airplane out of the relatively small field. The airplane stayed at "Bear Creek" airport for several years while its status was being resolved. Bear Creek was renamed in later years to Tara Field.

cool, thanks for the correction, I was outta state at the time and didn't quite have all the facts..close, but no cigar

I recall reading in a High Times Mag. years ago, about a DC-4/ DC-6 that had landed on a mountainside in (Boulder?) Colorado sometime in the 70's... All they found was an empty aircraft, a lot of tracks from the 6 wheel delivery trucks that carted off the cargo...The story stated that the county was going to scrap the aircraft on the spot because they couldn't find a pilot that was willing to try to fly it off the short steep mountainside.....There was an article or interview of the pilot that set her down...He stated that he was ex-WWII bomber pilot...didn't ask, and wasn't interested in what the cargo was, as long as he was paid well for his service.....Said his fees were enough to purchase the aircraft, radios, fuel, payoff cash, and a tidy sum for himself after all was said and done...Don't know if it was fact or fiction, but was a good read!
Anmybody remember hearing about this incedent?

I recall reading in a High Times Mag. years ago, about a DC-4/ DC-6 that had landed on a mountainside in (Boulder?) Colorado sometime in the 70's... All they found was an empty aircraft, a lot of tracks from the 6 wheel delivery trucks that carted off the cargo...The story stated that the county was going to scrap the aircraft on the spot because they couldn't find a pilot that was willing to try to fly it off the short steep mountainside.....There was an article or interview of the pilot that set her down...He stated that he was ex-WWII bomber pilot...didn't ask, and wasn't interested in what the cargo was, as long as he was paid well for his service.....Said his fees were enough to purchase the aircraft, radios, fuel, payoff cash, and a tidy sum for himself after all was said and done...Don't know if it was fact or fiction, but was a good read!
Anmybody remember hearing about this incedent?