What happened to this Skytrain? ...

[Mark Allen M]

I haven't had any luck finding an accident report or much else. I'm thinking it was hit while on the ground, but by what and how?
The only link with limited info I have found so far is below.
https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/ ... amage.html

Photo states: "Douglas C-47B-1-DL Skytrain 1945 Philippines"

[marine air]

To me it looks like a mid air collision. Maybe the C-53 was flying along and a faster single engine aircraft descended upon it. Notice the scratch marks an d fuselage invention have a fuselage or engine nacelle shape to it. The fuselage has been cut by propellor blades. A propellor also cut the left wing and destroyed the left prop on the C-53. Was the C-53 on a night mission and an airplane either didn’t see it or misjudged its closing rate and distance with the C-53?
Almost seems to perfect how it hit in the center and top of the C-53.

[marine air]

To me it looks like a mid air collision. Maybe the C-53 was flying along and a faster single engine aircraft descended upon it. Notice the scratch marks an d fuselage invention have a fuselage or engine nacelle shape to it. The fuselage has been cut by propellor blades. A propellor also cut the left wing and destroyed the left prop on the C-53. Was the C-53 on a night mission and an airplane either didn’t see it or misjudged its closing rate and distance with the C-53?
Almost seems to perfect how it hit in the center and top of the C-53.

[marine air]

To me it looks like a mid air collision. Maybe the C-53 was flying along and a faster single engine aircraft descended upon it. Notice the scratch marks an d fuselage invention have a fuselage or engine nacelle shape to it. The fuselage has been cut by propellor blades. A propellor also cut the left wing and destroyed the left prop on the C-53. Was the C-53 on a night mission and an airplane either didn’t see it or misjudged its closing rate and distance with the C-53?
Almost seems to perfect how it hit in the center and top of the C-53.

[raconnel]

Another angle here. It's a C-47B.





https://www.pacificwrecks.com/aircraft/c-47/43-16333/c47-43-16333-damage.html

[JohnB]

In my copy of the USAF C-47 -1 (dated 1957) there a photo of a C-47 in flight with similar damage.
The photo in the -1 may be a composite photo of a ground aircraft with some airbrush help.

Note: clarified I was discussing the handbook photo being doctored, not the OP photo.

Last edited by JohnB on Wed Jan 09, 2019 12:30 am, edited 1 time in total.

[Mark Allen M]

No composite photo and no airbrush

[phil65]

Godzilla....

Phil

[Dan Jones]

I think I've seen this picture before and it was captioned something along the lines of a mid-air collision with a Zero somewhere in the Southwest Pacific. The Zero crashed and the Dak limped into some friendly field.

[Andy Marden]

It wasn't reclaimed until 1 February 1947, so presumably it was repaired after this incident.

[Dana M Bell]

There may be an answer in the unit history. The "W" code was used by the 374th TCG of the 5298th Troop Carrier Wing, Provisional (redesignated 332nd TCW in January 1945. Aircraft numbers 500 thru 525 were assigned to the 6th TCS.

Cheers,



Dana

[Michel Lemieux]

Dragons?

https://www.traileraddict.com/warbirds/trailer

[Joe Scheil]

Believe that picture was published in a 1981 or close to it issue of “Wings” magazine on the C-47. It was a Zero allegedly that grew so frustrated at not being able to shoot it down that the pilot crashed his aircraft into the center of the plane. The lightly built Zero did not survive...and appears to have gouged a portion of the left wing out as it fell away.

Seems like the Zero was roughly flying formation with it and slammed into the C-47 rather gently, versus a larger angle converging path that would be more effective... neat pics!