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Old 14th August 2017, 22:20
kaki3152 kaki3152 is offline
Alter Hase
 
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Re: F4U Takeoff Crash-Wings folded

Well, although that is somewhat true, I believe the picture is a little mixed. The F4U Corsair killed many pilots, both ensigns and higher ranks in flight accidents.
As late as January 1945, the F4U was considered inferior to the F6F Hellcat as a overall carrier fighter. One problem was its stall characteristics:
"The F4U stalls easily at low speeds without any advance warning, such as the shuddering felt in a F6F, and tends to fall off on either wing ...For this reason two planes were lost just after takeoff and another while making its final turn to come aboard."

Here is a more detailed explanation for this accident. Notice the caption says "folds when a lock gives way". This means the ground crew verified that the wing lock was properly configured at takeoff. I'd hate to blame the pilot for a mechanical failure.

:Here on the 16th of February 1950, a Corsair is launched from the American carrier USS Saipan during operations off the coast of Korea. Immediately after catapulting from the deck, the Corsair's wing folds when a lock gives way. The result were catastrophic as the sequence of four photos reveals (I'll spare you those). The pilot, Lt Loren Grover, could do absolutely nothing to prevent his death. As Corsair operators, it is a sobering lesson to all of us that the unimaginable can happen... at any time. Photo via USS Saipan website.
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