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Major Mathis and his P-38 Lightning Recovered from Swamp
in Recovery / Warbirds News — by Editor — November 14, 2014
Major Mathis’s P-38 rising from the swamp in late 2013. (AEM photo via Jack Cook)

Jack Cook reports:

Lockheed P-38J Lightning s/n 43-28570 #400 flown by Major Peyton S. Mathis Jr. of Montgomery, Alabama has been discovered in a fresh water swamp on Guadalcanal, and his remains have been officially identified by the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC). He will be interred in his home town with full military honors. Major Mathis, CO of the 44th FS crashed while attempting to land on June 5th, 1944. Mathis was listed as being ‘MIA’ by some sources and ‘Killed in Flying Accident’ in others. 44th FS Association historian, Jack Cook first contacted JPAC eight years ago to encourage them to investigate the case. It wasn’t until the P-38 was found after a multi-year search in late 2013 and remains discovered that JPAC became involved. With the help of locals, the remains were recovered, and flown to the JPAC lab in Hawaii for DNA testing. Due to the anaerobic nature of the swamp, the P-38 was astonishingly well preserved. The aircraft was sympathetically dismantled, recovered and stored. Its future is still uncertain, but it presently remains on Guadalcanal.

The tail number on Mathis’ P-38. (AEM photo via Jack Cook)

The JPAC team working with local laborers on recovering Mathis remains. (JPAC photo)