PB4Y-1 Bu#38766 attacks its own!

[Dan K]

Jack Cook's posting on the P-38 crash on the USS Randolph reminded me of another "friendly-fire" episode (I first learned of at Joe Baugher's site).

Can anyone expand on or provide pics of this unbelievably-destructive episode?

PB4Y-1 38766 (VB-116, ex USAAF 44-40348) swerved off runway on takeoff from NAB Eniwetok, South Pacific and crashed into parked aircraft while carrying nine 500-lb bombs, destroying 106 naval aircraft 8/9/1944. 9 killed, 2 injured.

[Second Air Force]

Dan,

I couldn't find any photos of the accident, but there is a great shot of Eniwetok about halfway down the page here: http://www.vmb613.com/february_1945.htm
The narrative of the accident is here:
http://www.vpnavy.com/vp116_mishap_1940.html

[The Inspector]

What is the purpose of the odd looking antenna (!?!) mounted on top of the nose bowl? It surely isn't a tube type sight is it, unless someone found a stash of F3F gunsights on the island.

[Dan K]

What is the purpose of the odd looking antenna (!?!) mounted on top of the nose bowl? It surely isn't a tube type sight is it, unless someone found a stash of F3F gunsights on the island.

It's ony a guess, but could it be part of the "Falcon" radar gun director system for the 75MM cannon (as described on the aircraft page at the same website)? Read here:

http://www.vmb613.com/aircraft.htm

Maybe the SoCal PBJ guys know the answer?

[Second Air Force]

What is the purpose of the odd looking antenna (!?!) mounted on top of the nose bowl? It surely isn't a tube type sight is it, unless someone found a stash of F3F gunsights on the island.

It's ony a guess, but could it be part of the "Falcon" radar gun director system for the 75MM cannon (as described on the aircraft page at the same website)? Read here:

http://www.vmb613.com/aircraft.htm

Maybe the SoCal PBJ guys know the answer?

Inspector and Dan, you're both right.

That antenna is called an "endfire antenna" and a good description of the AN/APG-13 Falcon set-up can be found here: http://www.riemarfamily.com/falcon%20in%20action.html

They started firing the 75 at three miles according to the text!

Scott

[The Inspector]

SECOND AIR FORCE,

Mucho grassya$$- another little mystery solved, and most throughly!

[Randy Haskin]

They started firing the 75 at three miles according to the text!

Are you shocked because that's a little or a lot?

18,000 feet of slant range is NOT a lot of distance to start shooting at a target from an airplane.

In the F-15E, I strafe with the 20mm gun starting between 8,000' and 6,000' of slant range to the target. In the A-10, they shoot the 30mm gun out to 13,000+ feet of slant range (much more kinetically powerful and flat trajectory bullet).

The AC-130s that shoot the 105mm gun do that with a similar amount of slant range as the PBJ in question.

[Second Air Force]

Randy,

I was just imagining how nice it was for the guys carrying a 75 to be able to start the attack from a bit farther out. After seeing all the photographs of skip bombing and close-in strafing by A-20s and B-25/PBJs it must have been a something of a relief to start the attack from 4 to 5,000 yards.

Thanks for the information!
Scott