FAA Fairey Albacore "T9916" found 1970

[kaki3152]

Found my old "Air Combat" Magazines from the late 60s early 70s,which I hadn't seen for many years.

While going through them, I found this snippet from Air Combat Volume three Number 4 1970:

"In India,workers cutting through a Kerala State Forest came across
a Fairey Albacore, serial number T9916. The plane still carried Fleet Air Arm markings and is believed to have crashlanded sometime in 1942 during the Japanese advance. The pilot's skeleton was found in the cockpit"

I looked at Fairey Albacore serialnumbers and unfortunately, T9916 is not a correct serial number. There is a serial run starting with the letter T
but it ends at T9260. Possibly the second number is incorrect.

"100 Fairey Albacore I ordered under contract no. B35944/39
Serial Numbers: T9131- T9260, built at Hayes. "

[niallc]

If the second digit were wrong the only option would be T9216, but that serial was in a security block (T9216 to T9230) and not used.
How about T9169: lost in bad weather en route between SS Cochin and RNARY Coimbatore, 26 July 1942, Sub. Lt. JA Pickard, RNZN killed? (Sturtivant ‘s Fleet Air Arm Aircraft 1939-1945) . However John Pickard is still listed by CWGC as commemorated on the Devonport NZ Naval memorial i.e. has no known grave – which is a bit odd if the aircraft was found 40 years ago.
HTH
Niall

[paulmcmillan]

Sub. Lt. JA Pickard, is
John Allnutt Pickard Temp Sub-Lt (A) RNZNVR of Invercargill NZ

[G-ASEA]

I remember this being in Control Column magazne at the time. I dont know what the serial was. The Fleet Air Arm museum where going to recover the aircraft. But the locals removed or destroyed it before it was recovered.

Dave

[kaki3152]

Thanks, seems like T9619 would be a good candidate