US air losses within New Zealand in WWII

It worked this time, thank you

USAF PLANE INCIDENTS IN NZ

I dont know why you had trouble accessing the site. Below I have given you the page link to the data base, hope this works. If this fails have you tried typing in the URL in the address line rather than clicking on the hot link?. Remember the NZ plane incidents are abbreviated NZD.

Cheers Dingo

http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/AFrptsMO.htm

Thanks Dingo, but all I get from the link is a pop-up that says I need a User Name and Password. How do I get one?

I am conducting a similar search for US plane incidents in the UK, kindly provided for me by von Perthes. There are NZ listed incidents in the data base with the abbreviation NZD, hope this helps you http://www.aviationarchaeology.com/src/db.asp

Thanks Rob, much obliged. I look forward to seeing anything you find.

Hi Dave,

I’m going to send your request for US Navy visit to Naval History Center for you. I’m going to do this as a Freedom of Information Act so I should get some info. back hopefully fast.

As for you Air Corp stuff i will ask my friend at the National Archives to see what she can dig up.

Cheers
RER

Thanks Paul, I’ll look further into these incidents.

If NZ aircraft maybe?

NZ5353 – Crashed on a night flying exercise near Mangatangi at about 2230 hours on 15 April 1945

NZ5551 – Crashed at Ihumatao near Mangere just after 2300 hours on 22 March 1945.

Other fatalities in the area around Ardmore include

NZ5515 – The aircraft dived into the ground after completing a slow roll at 200 feet

I couldn’t find any losses on the US Navy roster from the Ardmore area. I did however find the following loss record in the RNZAF loss records. Of all the identifued losses, this is the only loss I came across that mentioned Ardmore at all. There were a couple of crashes at Rukuhia as well.

BuNo.50567 – NZ5564 – 14Jun45 – Crashed at Ardmore airstrip.

“Pilot Officer G. Tyree uninjured”

see:

http://www.adf-serials.com/nz-serials/nz5201.shtml

Paul

Thanks Rob. Have you a loss register for the US Marine Corsairs at all?

I have been through Errol Martyn’s ‘For Your Tomorrow’ and tried to see if it was an RNZAF pilot that was killed but nothing tallies up. One incident I did see was a local was given a medal for pullign a pilot out of a wreck, but the pilot later died. I know Dad said that his father also helped pull a chap from a Corsair once but I don’t know if it is the same occasion. Dad said he often saw Corsairs tipping onto their nose whilst landing, and he said they were usually American ones (I guess they were used to arrestor lines or something). He said several Corsairs crashed in their paddocks, and the tenders and crane would be there instantly, and the wreck would be gone within minutes it seemed. But it was only the one where the chap’s hands were severed that he says definately died. I guess most of the others were non-fatal so they wouldn’t be in For Your Tomorrow if he was RNZAF. Dad says he remembers pickinging up the chap’s hand and it was moving. Something a kid never forgets!

It is possible that this crash may have occurred after the war I guess, but more likely near the end of the war. They moved to Cambridge in the early 1950’s.

Does anyone have photos of US aircraft in New Zealand during the war? I’d be interested in seeing whatever type. I have only seen photos of the B17 that crashed at Whenupai, and the B17 (was it Swoose Goose?) that is still extant that spent time in NZ.

I couldn’t find any losses on the US Navy roster from the Ardmore area. I did however find the following loss record in the RNZAF loss records. Of all the identifued losses, this is the only loss I came across that mentioned Ardmore at all. There were a couple of crashes at Rukuhia as well.

BuNo.50567 – NZ5564 – 14Jun45 – Crashed at Ardmore airstrip.

Apparantly losing hands was quite common with the sliding canopies on Corsairs and many pilots died because of it.

Dave

Also, does anyone know which US Navy and US Marine carriers visited New Zealand during the war? I cannot find anything on Google, it’s all filled with current conflicts and nothing relating to WWII and the US forces in NZ.