Incident Overview
Date: Friday 3 July 2015
Aircraft Type: Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina
Owner/operator: Flying Fireman
Registration Number: N85U
Location: off Orange Beach, AL –
ÿ United States of America
Phase of Flight: Standing
Status: Destroyed, written off
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Component Affected: FuselageFuselage
Category: Other
On June 29, 2015, a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina was stranded on a sand bar near Orange Beach, Alabama, during the filming of ‘The U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage.’ The aircraft was attempting to land and had just landed when it began taking on water, prompting the use of a pump to remove it. Initial attempts to free the aircraft using two tractors failed, and further attempts on July 4 also proved unsuccessful. The fuselage broke during attempts to hoist the aircraft onto a barge.On June 29, 2015, a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina was stranded on a sand bar near Orange Beach, Alabama, during the filming of ‘The U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage.’ The aircraft was attempting to land and had just landed when it began taking on water, prompting the use of a pump to remove it. Initial attempts to free the aircraft using two tractors failed, and further attempts on July 4 also proved unsuccessful. The fuselage broke during attempts to hoist the aircraft onto a barge.
Description
On June 29, 2015, a Consolidated PBY-6A Catalina became beached on a sand bar on the shore of Orange Beach, Alabama. The aircraft was being used in the film production of “The U.S.S. Indianapolis: Men of Courage” and had just landed. The aircraft began taking on water and a pump was used to remove the water from the inside of the plane. Initial attempts to free the plane using two tractors failed because a cable snapped. A further attempt on July 4 also failed. During attempts to hoist the Catalina onto a barge the fuselage broke.
Source of Information
http://www.wsfa.com/story/29437781/wwii-plane-beached-near-flora-bama-after-taking-on-waterhttp://www.wsfa.com/story/29437781/wwii-plane-beached-near-flora-bama-after-taking-on-waterPrimary Cause
Failed attempts to free the aircraft using tractors and subsequent fuselage breakage during hoisting operations.Failed attempts to free the aircraft using tractors and subsequent fuselage breakage during hoisting operations.Share on:
