Amazing Mustang Crash (1951)!!!!!!

[Jack Cook]

Here's a shot a a mangled F-51 and it's very lucky pilot Fred Rockmaker in what's left of cockpit. He and his friends are celebrating his survival.
I'll post the 2nd picture later. Can you figure out what happened?

[Jerry O'Neill]

Jack;
My best guess looking at the photo is that it was involved in some sort of mid-air collision. The windscreen is gone, as well as the sliding canopy plexi and the vertical fin. Maybe it was an accident in the pattern and one P-51 landed on top of this P-51?
My best guess......
Blue skies,
Jerry

[Elwyn]

I'm guessing that he was hit by another airplane.

[Dan K]

Maybe he brought back a bomb or HVAR and it went off on landing?

[Jack Cook]

Your close but keep trying.
The pilot on the far left is Lt Davis who was KIA shortly after the photo was taken.
2nd from right is Dick Andrews late of the OR ANG and the 96th FS 82nd FG who won the Silver Star on a Russian
Shuttle mission when he landed and picked his CO in Rumania. He said that he had to pick him up because he was lost.
Behind Rockmaker is Capt John Taylor who was THE hotest pilot in Korea later M/G USAFret and CO Tex ANG.

[bdk]

Looks to me like he bumped his noggin!

Fuselage appears to have broken in the cockpit area. Engine failure on takeoff, landed straight ahead, gear dug into the dirt and tore the wings off of the fuselage?

[Jack Cook]

Oct 24, 1951 39th FIS F-51s were returning low on gas and very late from a mission and landing at airfield K-46. Lt Gene Masarak lost his radio and had trouble keeping a visual on his leader Fred Rockmaker. He was suppose to be landing on Rockmaker's left and behind him but didn't see him until his F-51 was on top of Rockmaker's. When Rockmaker looked up the spinner on the other 51 was over his head. The prop hit the armor
which stopped the merlin. The prop was inches from Rocky's head hence the smile on his face. He completed his 100th mission about a month later. His F-51D was FF-875 and Masarak's was s/n 45-11415. Note the a/c are painted silver not NMF.

[Shay]

Note the a/c are painted silver not NMF.

How can you tell? If you had asked me I would of thought it was NMF.

Shay
____________
Semper Fortis

[Dan K]

Appears to me that the female isn't cooperating.

[B-29 Super Fort]

One lucky pilot that day.

[Richard W.]

Great story. Thanks.

Is Masarak in the photo?

[Jack Cook]

No, I was told he was on a mission. No one blamed him for the accident ie night, no radio, low fuel and a crappy
dirt strip with only a smug pot on either end. Everybody was just happy both were OK.

Last edited by Jack Cook on Wed Oct 18, 2006 3:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Former Member]

Appears to me that the female isn't cooperating.

Come to think of it Dan...I guess it does look a bit like "Mustang Mating"!

John

[airnutz]

I had assumed the fellow identified as Andrews had something to do with
"killing" Rockmaker's 'stang..given his pose. Is that a knife in his raised hand?
Just guys "hamming it up" after a narrow escape, I reckon. Thanks for
filling in the blanks Jack.

[Jack Cook]

I had assumed the fellow identified as Andrews had something to do with
"killing" Rockmaker's 'stang
I think Dick was contemplating putting the 51 out of its misery.