ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 77779
Last updated: 23 May 2013
This information is added by users of ASN. ASN nor the Flight Safety Foundation are responsible for the completeness or correctness of this information.
If you feel this information is incomplete or incorrect, you can submit corrected information.
| Date: | 30-JAN-1944 |
| Time: | Dusk |
| Type: | Vought F4U-1A Corsair |
| Operator: | United States Navy (USN), VF-17 |
| Registration: | 18070 |
| C/n / msn: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Airplane damage: | Written off (damaged beyond repair) |
| Location: | Piva Uncle, Bougainville -
 Papua New Guinea
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | Piva Yoke |
| Piva Uncle |
On the afternoon of January 30th,1944, a report ( which turned out to be erroneous ) was received
saying that a Japanese aircraft carrier and escorting vessels had been sighted approaching Rabaul.
A strike was hastily arranged involving all readily available torpedo-bombers, dive bombers and fighters
from the two Piva airstrips and Torokina.
The force returned to Bougainville close to dusk after attacking Simpson Harbour, Rabaul.
This heavy concentration of planes caused considerable congestion in the air around the Cape Torokina airstrips.
Two Corsairs of VF-17, flown by the CO and his wingman, were unable to join the landing pattern at their base, Piva Yoke, and diverted to Piva Uncle, a.k.a. Piva Bomber Strip, joining on the downwind leg.
On final to the runway at Piva Uncle the wingman's Corsair collided with an FG-1 of VMF-211 being flown by a seriously wounded pilot and making a straight-in approach.
Both Corsairs were destroyed in the resulting crashes and their pilots died.
The VF-17 pilot was Lt D.H.Gutenkunst, USNR. R.I.P.
Sources:
The Jolly Rogers by Tom Blackburn with Eric Hammel.
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 15-Sep-2010 18:00 | angels one five | Added |
| 13-Apr-2013 09:34 | Uli Elch | Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Narrative] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description