Warbird Information Exchange

On July 17, 1969 two Salvadoran Air Force FG-1D Corsairs were shot down by Honduran Air Force Captain Fernando Soto H. flying a Vought F4U-5N Corsair. This was the last known aerial combat between propeller driven aircraft.

According to the testimony of then Captain Soto, the second FG-1D exploded in mid-air after the third burst from his 20mm cannons. The Salvadoran version states that Captain Guillermo Cortéz, manouvered his aircraft after being hit, to avoid crashing in a nearby town. He was unable to parachute to safety.

I would appreciate an assessment from what is visible on a photo displayed on the attached link:
http://www.mtzion.org/Monte_Sion/galeria_capitan_Cortez.htm
Some of the edges of the fuselage skin, appear to be twisted towards the inside, which may suppose a mid-air explosion occured.

Any comments are most welcome, or may contact me at my e-mail address:

amadoaguiluz@yahoo.com

Kind regards,

Amado Aguiluz Ferrari
Museo del Aire de Honduras

I don't think you can suppose anything from a single photograph of some few pieces of wreckage that have been moved, possibly several times. There are any number of ways thay the edges of these fragments could have been bent. A forensic examination of them by a metallurgist might shed some light on the method of damage, but I would hesitate to speculate based of one photo.

Walt