Mystery Debris Field #2:
This was originally found during P-MAN II. This clearly is the debris field of an aircraft, most probably of American origin – this sits in ~3-5 feet of water on a coral head off the western coast of Ngatpang State (Babeldaob). Some 0.50 cal ammunition was found in the vicinity. The aircraft appears to have hit the coral head at a high rate of speed and at a steep angle (some pieces appear to have been driven into the coral head). The debris field has generally appears spread in a east-west direction, which suggests it received anti-aircraft fire from the Japanese AA positions on Ngatpang (heavy concentration known to have been stationed in Ngatpang area) and was trying to escape to the western barrier reef, when it went in. During P-MAN IV, the debris field was mapped out and in the process several new pieces were found.
1. Clem 42: Next to Bill Cantrell’s right arm (Bill is a former Corsair fighter pilot (LTCOL, USMC, Ret), dear friend and hero), is a part of a control surface which has ribs which appear to have been cloth-covered. It appears to still be attached to the stabilizer/wing.
2. Clem 85: This is a close up of the object in previous picture.
3. Clem 43: Ngatpang is in the background. Val Thal-Slocum is in the water and Bill Cantrell, with the help of our master guide, Joe Maldangesang, is holding up another object from the debris field. For uncertain reasons, the photo is labeled as a “wing” fragment.
4. Clem 57: I am holding what appears to be a cylinder head from the debris field with an inside diameter just under 6 inches.
5. Clem 59: Another view showing depth of cylinder.
6. Clem 60: Another view of engine cylinder.
7. Clem 61: This view is the “bottom” of the piece, relative to the opening in Clem 57.
Video clips:
We haven't been able to identify this object's origin, but we're hoping that some BentProp visitor will download and view one of the following video clips, have a great blast of recollection, and e-mail us with a really good guess about what it is! The files listed below are basically the same clip, presented in several different media and levels of resolution. If you have a broadband connection, definitely download one of the better-quality files (I like the Real Media format the best). If you have a slow dial-up internet connection, go for one of the smaller files. They've got less resolution, but you can still get a pretty good idea of the nature of this object. If you think you know what it is, please drop us a note via e-mail. We'll get back to you right away!
Some of the clips listed here must be viewed using the free download of RealOne player. Others require the free Apple QuickTime viewer. And some require the free Windows Media Player. All of these viewers are easy to download and use - just click the links in this paragraph to check out the viewers. If you have trouble viewing clips from within your browser, you can also right-click on any link below and download and save the file to your own computer for viewing outside the browser.
Wing Parts video clips:
Larger files (better quality):
Smaller files (lower quality, but faster downloads):
Cylinder Head video clips:
Larger files (better quality):
Smaller files (lower quality, but faster downloads):
Question: From the control surface and cylinder head, can you identify the aircraft type?
If you think you know what it is, please drop us a note via e-mail. We'll get back to you right away!