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Digging Up the Past
Robins AFB home to 68-year old crash site
Written by Angela Woolen
U.S. Air Force photos by Roland Leach
The swamp is slowly burying the metal remains. Sixty-eight years ago, seven people were
killed when a UC-45 crashed shortly after takeoff from Robins Air Force Base.
The airplane was returning to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base with its crew of inspectors.
Shortly after 9 p.m. on Feb. 13, 1947, it crashed into the swamp just north of the runway which at that time ran from north to south.
Six military men and one civilian died in the crash. The bodies of the men were all recovered. Lt. Col. Gilbert E. Layman, Capt. William W. Whalen, Lt. Col. Robert A. Zaiser, 1st Lt. Laverne W. Gonyer, Tech. Sgt. Austin E. Casebier, civilian T. R. Billings and Maj. Charles H. Greiner were those who perished in the accident.
“The force of the impact ripped off the propeller,” said Bill Paul, collections manager at the Museum of Aviation. “It was moving fast when it hit to tear it up like it did.”
To read more,
CLICK HERE. To view the video, CLICK HERE.
Clockwise from left, Bill Paul, collections manager at the Museum of Aviation, inspects a piece of the aircraft during a
site visit Feb. 11. Paul, assisted by museum curator Mike Rowland (in blue) and museum volunteers Arthur Sullivan and
Jeff Brett, carry a propeller from the crash site. A piece of the engine still lies in the swamp.
CNN will Feature the Museum of Aviation SR-71 “Blackbird”
U.S. Air Force photo by Roland Leach
Thom Patterson, CNN senior producer, will feature the Museum of Aviation SR-71 “Blackbird” on CNN’s website, cnn.com, March 9. Patterson, who writes digital stories for CNN, interviewed the Museum’s curator, Mike Rowland. The article will highlight the world’s fastest aircraft history and accomplishments.
B-29 similar to Enola Gay on display at Museum of Aviation
Written by Wayne Chenshaw
Bottom picture by Jason Vorhees
Museum of Aviation visitors can now get a close-up view of what crew members of the Enola Gay were looking at when they changed history.
The Enola Gay was a B-29 Superfortress that dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
The museum has long had a B-29 cockpit separate from the full B-29 that sits in the Scott Hangar. The cockpit is at floor level below the giant bomber, and with its panoramic windows, visitors can get a full view of the inside, including the switch the Enola Gay bombardier would have flipped to drop the bomb.
To read more,
CLICK HERE.
To view the video of Museum of Aviation volunteer, Bob Denison discussing the work he has done to restore the B-29 cockpit,
CLICK HERE.
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GPB presents: World War II fighter pilot Robert L. Scott
WATCH ONLINE |
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