Most Restorations of a Single Aircraft

[Noha307]

I had a random thought and I figured it would be a interesting question for the community: Which single aircraft has had the most restorations? Anybody have a guess?

I realize it can be hard to quantify since what counts as a restoration - rather than standard maintenance or a touch up - can be tricky, but since this is far from a rigorous study I don't think it will matter that much.

[quemerford]

Something on a pole I'd guess: some of those get painted once a year.

[DH82EH]

The CAF P-51C has had a few substantial rebuilds.

[JohnTerrell]

The Buchon/converted-to Bf 109G-4, registered as D-FWME and known as "Red 7", is likely a top contender. It was one of a large number of Spanish AF Buchons that were used in the making of the movie "Battle of Britain" in the late 60's. It was then going to be used in the movie "Patton", but was heavily damaged during an attempted take-off in 1969, on what was going to be its ferry flight for the filming of that movie. The aircraft passed through a number of owners, eventually ending up in Wyoming where it was restored back to flying condition (stock Buchon configuration). However, in 1986, with the restoration completed, the aircraft was significantly damaged in a crash during one of its first test flights, and was later put on static display. In 1997, the project was sold to the Messerschmitt Air Company in Germany, who over the next 7-years restored the aircraft to Bf-109G-4 configuration, fitted with a DB 605 engine. The aircraft first flew following this restoration in 2004, painted as "Red 7", but the aircraft was significantly damaged less than a year later in a landing accident in 2005. By 2007, running short on cash restoring the aircraft back to flying condition, it was sold to EADS/Messerschmitt Siftung Foundation. With this restoration completed, the aircraft flew again in 2008, but on its very next test flight the landing gear failed to extend and it was forced to make a belly landing. The repairs/restoration work took almost a full year to complete before the aircraft took to the air again in 2009. The aircraft from that point continued to operate routinely until 2013, when it was forced to make an off-airport belly landing into a field, after the engine quit during an aerobatic performance in Denmark. Following repairs/restoration, the aircraft was first flown again a year later, in 2014. Then, in the summer of 2016, it was damaged in an attempted takeoff at Manching, and over the last few years it has been undergoing a complete ground-up rebuild.

[phil65]

The Buchon/converted-to Bf 109G-4, registered as D-FWME and known as "Red 7", is likely a top contender. It was one of a large number of Spanish AF Buchons that were used in the making of the movie "Battle of Britain" in the late 60's. It was then going to be used in the movie "Patton", but was heavily damaged during an attempted take-off in 1969, on what was going to be its ferry flight for the filming of that movie. The aircraft passed through a number of owners, eventually ending up in Wyoming where it was restored back to flying condition (stock Buchon configuration). However, in 1986, with the restoration completed, the aircraft was significantly damaged in a crash during one of its first test flights, and was later put on static display. In 1997, the project was sold to the Messerschmitt Air Company in Germany, who over the next 7-years restored the aircraft to Bf-109G-4 configuration, fitted with a DB 605 engine. The aircraft first flew following this restoration in 2004, painted as "Red 7", but the aircraft was significantly damaged less than a year later in a landing accident in 2005. By 2007, running short on cash restoring the aircraft back to flying condition, it was sold to EADS/Messerschmitt Siftung Foundation. With this restoration completed, the aircraft flew again in 2008, but on its very next test flight the landing gear failed to extend and it was forced to make a belly landing. The repairs/restoration work took almost a full year to complete before the aircraft took to the air again in 2009. The aircraft from that point continued to operate routinely until 2013, when it was forced to make an off-airport belly landing into a field, after the engine quit during an aerobatic performance in Denmark. Following repairs/restoration, the aircraft was first flown again a year later, in 2014. Then, in the summer of 2016, it was damaged in an attempted takeoff at Manching, and over the last few years it has been undergoing a complete ground-up rebuild.

Snake Bite....

Phil

[ALOHADAVE]

The Award for the most crashable airplane goes to…

The venerable AT-6 Texan!

AT-6D s/n 42-86321 holds the record at having 16 accidents during its service with the USA(A)F
Interesting to note that these 16 accidents all occurred post-war between 1945 and 1950, at Randolph or Goodfellow AFB TX. Most were landing accidents. four accidents were rated 3 out of 5 for severity. amazing if 42-86321 is still around today?

3 planes crashed 12 times--- all AT-6s!

6 planes crashed 11 times, again all AT-6s!

7 planes crashed 10 times, again all AT-6s! (includes one BC-1 which was part of the Texan lineage)

29 planes crashed 9 times—we are finally starting to see something other than Texans, though only 5 of the 29 are not Texans or their predecessors (BC-1 and BT-9s).

62 planes crashed 8 times!

149 planes crashed 7 times!

328 planes crashed 6 times!

863 planes crashed 5 times!

(Source plane s/n count from AAIR’s USAF Accident report database.)

Craig AAIR, Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research http://www.aviationarchaeology.com

[Snake45]

Are "restorations" and "rebuilds" or "repairs" different things?

[GRNDP51]

Definitely not as much as John's aircraft above, but Sea Fury N254SF had a history. First resto in the 90's with a fatal crash within a year or two. Restored in early 2000's, lasted awhile until damage in 2015. Restored/repaired by Ezell, and sadly we all know the final flight of this airframe with Ezell at the stick.

[JohnB]

There was a recent Sea Fury crash in the UK, FlyPast noted it wasn't the first time it was damaged in recent years.

I would imagine several Mustangs have a few minor (or major) mishaps in their history.

[Hooligan2]

First Mustang I ever saw, N5747 which visited the UK for a few weeks in 1977, certainly had several accidents and major rebuilds in the US including a fatal - it eventually moved permanently to Europe in France, then to Switzerland where it was finally lost in a fatal crash in the Alps. I don't think the identity has been preserved, but these things do have a habit of re-emerging in due course so who knows?

[Noha307]

The Award for the most crashable airplane goes to…

The venerable AT-6 Texan!

AT-6D s/n 42-86321 holds the record at having 16 accidents during its service with the USA(A)F
Interesting to note that these 16 accidents all occurred post-war between 1945 and 1950, at Randolph or Goodfellow AFB TX. Most were landing accidents. four accidents were rated 3 out of 5 for severity.

Wow! Around 3 accidents a year? That's quite a record! (Also, I see where this answer was posted to another thread a few years ago. Thanks for passing it along!)

I was reading through Dan Hagedorn's excellent T-6 book again today and I found a passage that immediately reminded me of these stats:

By July 1949, at least one T-6A was assigned to Craig Air Force Base, Alabama, and was the oldest aircraft on the station, with over 2,000 hours on the airframe. The aircraft had survived 11 accidents, including changing out seven new wing panels, five new landing gear struts, and six props. During one intensive training period, the aircraft had been in continuous use for 22 hours in one 24-hour period.

(Source: Dan Hagedorn, North American’s T-6: A Definitive History of the World’s Most Famous Trainer (North Branch, MN: Specialty Press, 2009), 91.)

Unfortunately, the serial number is not listed. However, using the 2,000 hours as a baseline, that would make approximately one accident every 200 hours!

amazing if 42-86321 is still around today?

According to Baugher, it was given to Colombia in 1954 and "[b]elieved used for spares recovery" - which would be an appropriate use for an airframe with 16 accidents!