Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:52 am
I'd wager that a lot of the losses were from planes getting lost on flights from Southern Cali bases. In San Diego & Imperial Counties there were quite a few Navy/Marine bases. Brown Field & Ream Field were quite close to the border.
Mac
Mac
Wed Mar 26, 2008 8:58 pm
A birdie Kernal told me:
It's an F6F-5N Night Fighter out of NAS Imperial Beach. It crashed in the spring of 1945 on a night mission. The pilot got lost and set it down on the beach. The location of the crash is in Baja Mexico about 20 Miles from the US Border. This site has changed a lot since the early 90s. The rest of the plane should be about 200-300 yards down from the wing and engine. It has been covered and un-covered by the sand and tide since the crash.
Wed Mar 26, 2008 9:07 pm
A new possible flyer! 
Thu Mar 27, 2008 3:30 am
Is TIGHAR involved in this beach recovery? Have they found a woman's shoe in it yet? I'll bet it was the fighter escort that flew alongside Amelia as she spied on Mexico. Yea, that's it! 
Thu Mar 27, 2008 7:30 am
No shoe in it, but the rivet pattern on one panel is kinda sorta maybe close to a lockheed panel of some sort. But then again maybe not or you'll just have to wait until TIGHAR names it & starts the funding quest to find out the real particulars.
Mac
Mac
Fri Mar 28, 2008 1:57 pm
Questions from teh gentleman that sent me the pictures. I have guaranteed him it is not a Thunderbolt but he would like more opinions please.
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I appreciate what you've done, but the discovery that seemed to put closure in the minds of so many was about 100 miles away and I don't think the Baja would have been a reference point to this location.
Could you readress the following questions?
1. Is it posible that Cabaraka field is Caborca Field? (I do not know of any Cabaraka field, Yet Caborca is only 45 miles away.)
Mexicali is 100 miles away across the pond, and any beach near the baja is at the least 85 miles across the Gulf as a bird flies.
2. Any credibility to the P-47 theory? The Mexicans did fly some
3. If 2 is not then, what was it doing on the mainland side of the Gulf of California?
4. Any thoughts on a bird attempting to fly straight across from a southern Texas field toward a San Diego Base
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I appreciate what you've done, but the discovery that seemed to put closure in the minds of so many was about 100 miles away and I don't think the Baja would have been a reference point to this location.
Could you readress the following questions?
1. Is it posible that Cabaraka field is Caborca Field? (I do not know of any Cabaraka field, Yet Caborca is only 45 miles away.)
Mexicali is 100 miles away across the pond, and any beach near the baja is at the least 85 miles across the Gulf as a bird flies.
2. Any credibility to the P-47 theory? The Mexicans did fly some
3. If 2 is not then, what was it doing on the mainland side of the Gulf of California?
4. Any thoughts on a bird attempting to fly straight across from a southern Texas field toward a San Diego Base
Fri Mar 28, 2008 3:37 pm
It can't be a P-47. The wing shape is all wrong. The T-Bolt has a much more rounded wing tip. If you wan't I'll go out back and take a photo of a P-47 wing for you to compare to. Second there aren't enough guns in the wing for a P-47. P-47s had four this bird only has three. The pattern they are set in is classic Hellcat. I don't see how it could be anything else.
James
James
Fri Mar 28, 2008 9:40 pm
Also look at the inboard wing structure that's easy to see. F6F have some odd angles of the structure from the shape of the wing fold mechanism.
Canso42
Canso42
Sat Mar 29, 2008 2:17 am
I'm really curious as to what would happen if someone from Mexico and in Mexico, would go salvage what was left of the aircraft. I mean, what could the US Navy do?