La Ferté-Alais B-25 down. Crew OK

Apologies to bump the thread.

Any idea if work has started to repair or is it a write off?

How would insurance cover something that is in effect a one-off hand built aircraft? No spare parts, out of production for 76 years, so anything replaced will be hand made parts.

Sum insured (as shown on the schedule) is paid following total loss.

The sum is the figure agreed between the insurer and the policy holder. It may or may not be equal to the total replacement cost of the aircraft. It depends upon how much the owner/operator can afford and how much they are prepared to risk.

Third party damage is covered in full which is why B17’s and Blenheim Mk4’s are classed the same as a B737 due to the amount of probable third party damage caused in worst case accident. The capital sum element of the insurance (fully comp in motor insurance speak) is down to how much premium the owner is prepared to pay.

This is a generalization and open to the usual Forum discussions.

Looking at these pictures it would appear the level of damage is fairly substantial although repairable with time and money.
The issue is insurance, if they had full hull cover then it is likely to be written off and the pay out used to buy a replacement aircraft. If not it could be a long, slow and costly restoration using parts sourced from around the world.

Richard

How would insurance cover something that is in effect a one-off hand built aircraft? No spare parts, out of production for 76 years, so anything replaced will be hand made parts.

TonyT,
If we are both looking at the same picture (the one linked in post #2) then, in my view, it will be some considerable time and money before this aircraft takes off again! What is immediately obvious is the fact that the left wing is twisted upwards, the left engine/prop seem to have broken away from their mountings and prop blades are visible behind the left wing. This is just what is immediately obvious from a picture taken form this angle with the high crops hiding the aircraft.

BUT, never mind the damage to the metal. The metal can be repaired. People can not!! It is so good to know that the crew walked out of the wreck. Unhurt crew is the most important thing in a prang like that!

And it looks like fire damage to the fuselage around the wing root (but hard to confirm).

Good the crew is safe, absolutely.

Looking at these pictures it would appear the level of damage is fairly substantial although repairable with time and money.
The issue is insurance, if they had full hull cover then it is likely to be written off and the pay out used to buy a replacement aircraft. If not it could be a long, slow and costly restoration using parts sourced from around the world.

Richard

With so many left worldwide I would imagine spares won’t be problem.Slap a new wing on,repair the engine,bit of tidying up and off to Legends.It’s only money.

The last two pictures in that set show cranes in action, so I guess she’s been moved

Richard

Has she now been moved to a safe place?

I hope she will manage to be repaired.

There’s some here….

http://gsirius.bookfoto.com/index.php?ac=book&gr=0&id=136064.

Not sure what the guy in cycling shorts is doing there though….

Just seen some detailed pics from close up and inside and makes for sorry viewing..

Where ?

.

Sorry to bump the thread,

Any idea if a decision has been made to repair the aircraft yet?

Just seen some detailed pics from close up and inside and makes for sorry viewing..

Glad the crew are ok and hope the aircraft will fly again.

I also hope that when it does they take the opportunity to paint her in colours a little less glossy!

You misunderstand.

I didnt say it couldn’t be repaired, but I suggest that the cost of so doing may well be more than the insured value of the aircraft.

If big chunks of B25 could be purchased from Aero Trader – say a wing, rear fuselage and so on, then it might be cost effective. If it was a Spitfire, it would already be in the jig……

Bruce

The B-25 has a slight gull-wing appearance as seen in the image below. I’m not seeing a severely bent wing in the crashed example other than a few feet of wingtip which might be repairable.

Looks repairable to me too.Crew safety is number one priority.Pilot and crew did a great job getting her down.