| Not mentioned in a lot of the blurb on the "Cadillac of the skies" was the fact that a number of them fell apart in the air pulling out of dives and in very tight turns when a wheel door crept open and the landing gear (sorry, "undercarriage" - this is the UK) came out, resulting in the machine disintegrating in the air.
On some of the F.14s (Accident Reports) for P-51 crashes in this region in 1944-45, one of the first things the investigating officers did if there was any suggestion of a mid-air break-up was to check the area of the wheel doors.
BC |