P-61 Black Widows

Yes, 42-5533 which was abandoned and crashed near Nantwich. Dug in 1986 or thereabouts and the engines and a lot of structure recovered. Re dug in 2006. Unfortunately it had burned in the crater for days and was mostly in very bad condition. Notable finds were throttle, radar controls, armour, canopy framing, oxygen bottles and engine cylinder heads. The landowner also gave me a prop blade from the first dig, which had unfortunately been stood outside for 20 years! Most of what was recovered Mr Northrop himself would not recognise.

I used to have an engine cylinder from this aircraft, with valve and rocker. Very melted but was a piece of great pride for me at the time to own a piece of relative aviation rarity. Sadly, I had to leave it behind when we moved house…

Back in the early ’90’s I had access to one of Staravia’s remote storage sites, (old wooden buildings). I spent many an hour rummaging through the piles of boxes and parts , stored in the rafters were a pair of black undercarriage doors, I looked through many books trying to identify them with no luck. A few months later the buildings burned to the ground destroying everything in them. Some time later a pic in a book of a P-61 on the ground & hey presto , it was them , front gear doors. Had I have know at the time, I would have them now.

My memory wasn’t that bad then! Seems incredible that anything survived from it.

Yes, 42-5533 which was abandoned and crashed near Nantwich. Dug in 1986 or thereabouts and the engines and a lot of structure recovered. Re dug in 2006. Unfortunately it had burned in the crater for days and was mostly in very bad condition. Notable finds were throttle, radar controls, armour, canopy framing, oxygen bottles and engine cylinder heads. The landowner also gave me a prop blade from the first dig, which had unfortunately been stood outside for 20 years! Most of what was recovered Mr Northrop himself would not recognise.

I thought that as well Rob, but I think I might have been thinking of this thread, http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=96440

My memory isn’t brilliant, but I think Ian on here mentioned the P-61 crash site, may have been involved I wonder?

Wasn’t there a notable section of P-61 found on an airfield or in a scrapyard many years ago, possibly in the fifties or sixties?

Rob

Small bits come up on ebay now and then from the one that crashed in the uk.

Dave