RAF P-40 shot down in 1942 discovered 70 years later in Egyptian desert

[jollyjacktar]

A Second World War plane crashed by a British pilot in the Sahara desert before he walked off to his death has been found frozen in time 70 years later.  Unseen and untouched, the Kittyhawk P-40 has been described as an aviation time capsule after it was found almost perfectly preserved in the sands of the western desert in Egypt.  After coming down on the sand in June 1942, pilot is thought to have survived the crash and initially used his parachute for shelter before making a desperate and futile attempt to reach civilisation by walking out of the desert...


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2142300/Crashed-plane-Second-World-War-pilot-Dennis-Copping-discovered-Sahara-desert.html#ixzz1uTGoNfC3

Very interesting read with lots of photos.  Perhaps they'll find the remains of the pilot in the area as well.

 

[Halifax Tar]

Wow thats in great shape all things considered!  Good to hear that it sounds like a museum will taking this excellent artifact.

RIP Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping where ever you found eternal rest. 

 

[Pat in Halifax]

This story makes you wonder what other 'artifacts' may be buried by the winds of time in the North African desert. Aircraft aside, think about all the armoured vehicles and related equipment that must be out there. Though in a different desert, maybe the storyline at the beginning of 'Sum of all Fears' is not all that far-fetched.
As well, in Scandanavia and Russia, aircraft are found in a high state of preservation. CASM's Bf 109F was reconstructed from one that had crashed in western Russia in 1942.

 

[karl28]

Amazing story's it was a good read hopefully the P-40 can be returned to a museum and preserved .

 

[kkwd]

Here is another story on this aircraft. It mentions it was previously flown by a Canadian pilot named Stocky Edwards. There is video with the original article.

Article Link

A fighter plane from World War II that crashed in the Sahara 70 years ago has been unearthed, and holds clues to a missing pilot.

The Telegraph reports that the intact American-made Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40, which had remained untouched since its crash landing in 1942, was discovered by a Polish oil company worker, Jakub Perka, who was exploring a remote region of the Western Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town.

It is believed that the airman, Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping, 24, initially survived the crash, because a parachute found at the scene looks to have been used as a makeshift shelter. But no trace of the body was found, leaving experts to believe the pilot walked away from the flight, then walked to his death in a hopeless attempt to find civilization.

A military historian, noting that there would be no reason on earth to have found the plane in the middle of the desert, hailed the find as " a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb."

The Canadian website Vintage Wings of Canada said the plane was in "incredible condition," but worried about looters to the site, which happens to be on a dangerous smuggling route between Sudan and Libya.

Vintage Wings also notes that the serial number appears to be ET574, a plane previously flown by Canadian pilot Stocky Edwards. The website adds, "To say we, at Vintage Wings, are excited by this find in an understatement."

A search is planned to locate the missing pilot's body, but officials don't believe that any remains will be found. Eventually, the aircraft will be moved to London's Royal Air Force Museum.