news C-47 Dakota Crashes on highway underpass

[Joris]

The Dakota was being moved by truck from the Wings of Liberation Museum in Best to former Dutch air force base Valkenburg where it was to be a prop in a musical. While in transit it went under a viaduct which was too narrow and it crashed. :nut:

 

 

And a link to more movie material:

http://www.rtl.nl/components/actueel/rtlnieuws/miMedia/2010/week32/Fri07.dakota-strandt-op-a44.xml

 

Sorry about the title, I could not resist

Edited August 13, 2010 by Joris

[Joris]

This is what it looked like before transit:

 

The deal was that it would be restored (optically) and then returned after a year. It's now unclear what will happen to it.

[Tony B]

Well there's a million odd Euros up the spout. Kick the wife , rape the cat but NEVER hit a bridge!

[Ivor Ramsden]

The museum guys must be absolutely gutted. My sympathy, lads.

It's all very well having insurance for this kind of thing but a 70+ year old aeroplane is irreplaceable. Let's hope it can be bashed back into some form of shape.

[mcspool]

The museum guys must be absolutely gutted. My sympathy, lads.

It's all very well having insurance for this kind of thing but a 70+ year old aeroplane is irreplaceable. Let's hope it can be bashed back into some form of shape.

 

Last night I saw it with my own eyes. Very sad! While nothing is irrepairable, this Dakota looks well and truly beyond it. It is still on the premises where the musical is performed as an eyecatcher while decisions are made what to do with it. It will take huge amounts of effort and money to get it repaired. Mind you, it wasn't is a very good shape to begin with, having been out in the open for many years at museums in Arlon (Belgium) and then Best.

 

 

(source: own picture)

 

Its role in the musical has now been taken by another Dakota, formerly on display at the Aviodrome in Lelystad. The whole scene only lasts a few minutes, portraying the arrival of Queen Wilhelmina back in the Netherlands in 1945. It is fitted with electric motors and comes taxing in with propellors rotating. Very impressive! The door then opens and the Queen steps down on Dutch soil once again.

 

 

(source: internet)

Edited December 15, 2010 by mcspool

[mcspool]

Identity of the demolished Dakota:

 

Douglas C-47B Skytrain

42-100847 / L4-B

c/n 33119/16371

ex-USAAF 44-76787

ex-French AF 476787

ex-F-BAIF

 

Also see http://www.ruudleeuw.com/dc3-best.htm and http://www.ruudleeuw.com/hayes-c47-best.htm for some recollections from a Mr. Karl Hayes who flew with this plane.

Edited December 15, 2010 by mcspool

[mcspool]

Background on this Dakota from http://www.francedc3.com/spip.php?article116 & translated by Google:

 

F-BAIF C47-B sn 33119 No. 44.76787. DC 3C-S1C3G

 

 

Delivered to the USAAF April 24, 1945 and August 20, 1945 at the French Air Force under number 476 787 with 157 hours of operation. It was registered by the F-BAIF SGACC in August 1945 and April 2, 1946 assigned to Air France. He will fly first to the area then East AOF from 28 January 1948. He was transferred to EFS sector in May 1951. It will then be assigned to the PRC, the Postal Operations Center 1 August 1959 to 06 10 69.

 

 

 

 

It is sold at AIR FREIGHT 25,731 hours of operation. It was then bought by Uni Air in April 1973 and withdrew in May 1981 to Blagnac. In 1987 he was bought by the Victory Memorial Museum, near the town of Arlon (Aarlen) in Belgium where he will be on display at the museum door. At the closure of this museum, it is taken up by the Royal Dutch Air Force Salvage Team. It will be installed in February 2002 at the Museum Bevrijdende Vleugels north of Eindhoven (Netherlands). He is currently on display outside, painted the colors of a U.S. plane's landing, olive green and black and white stripes

 

 

 

Edited December 15, 2010 by mcspool

[Adrian Barrell]

It is still on the premises where the musical is performed as an eyecatcher while decisions are made what to do with it. (source: own picture)

 

 

 

I'll take it!

[cordenj]

That is very sad.

 

Here are a couple of photos of it in happier times in August 2007.....