[Terry McGrady]

The Kittyhawk has been positively identified as ET574 flown by Flt Sgt Dennis Copping


Cheers
Terry McGrady

[blunce]

Any news on the recovery efforts of this aircraft, or if there's anything left of it by now?

BTW, the aircraft can be seen in this Yahoo map of the area. For a grim scenario of what the pilot's situation was, zoom out one click at a time. He literally landed in the middle of nowhere.

[vince14]

Kind of sobering, isn't it? Makes you realise that if you go down in that kind of area, you're going to need a heck of a lot of luck to survive.

Vince

[Steve N]

While there hasn't been official confirmation, an Italian/Egyptian search team has found what may prove to be the mortal remains of Flt Sgt Copping. Let's hope he can be returned home at last.

The site Italian/Arabic. Scroll down and click on "English" below the pic for a .pdf with and account of the search in English.

Search for Copping

SN

This post has been edited by Steve N: 27 June 2012 - 08:13 AM

[J.C. Bahr]

Annoying as H*ll that the d@mn vandals have already trashed that bird!

[Modelmkr]

blunce, on 19 June 2012 - 07:31 AM, said:

Any news on the recovery efforts of this aircraft, or if there's anything left of it by now?

BTW, the aircraft can be seen in this Yahoo map of the area. For a grim scenario of what the pilot's situation was, zoom out one click at a time. He literally landed in the middle of nowhere.

Looks to be about 300 miles from the nearest (2012) population centre (just down from the river delta). In WWII, probably farther?

Marc B.

[Steve N]

Without looking it up, I recall that they said in 1942 the nearest water was over 200 miles away. He was basically dead the moment he touched down, and likely new it. His only hope was to start walking with the slim chance that he might run into some "locals," but obviously since his plane remained undisturbed for 70 years the area isn't exactly well-travelled. The search article mentions that some outfit was charging tourists 80 Euros for a visit to the plane, and they obviously couldn't resist leaving their "mark." I wonder if the ongoing vandalism is the result of lingering anti-colonial sentiments among the Arabs, or just idiots who can't resist smashing things because they can.

SN

[Scooby]

Steve N, on 28 June 2012 - 09:15 PM, said:

Without looking it up, I recall that they said in 1942 the nearest water was over 200 miles away. He was basically dead the moment he touched down, and likely new it. His only hope was to start walking with the slim chance that he might run into some "locals," but obviously since his plane remained undisturbed for 70 years the area isn't exactly well-travelled. The search article mentions that some outfit was charging tourists 80 Euros for a visit to the plane, and they obviously couldn't resist leaving their "mark." I wonder if the ongoing vandalism is the result of lingering anti-colonial sentiments among the Arabs, or just idiots who can't resist smashing things because they can.

SN

Whatever it is there is a total lack of knowledge or repect for what it is, a very rare artifact.