Douglas A/B-26 Invader
The CIA and the A-26 Invader / On Mark aircraft
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Douglas A/B-26 Invader The CIA and the A-26 Invader / On Mark aircraft |
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AIR AMERICA: DOUGLAS B-26s / ON MARKs by Dr. Joe F. Leeker Last updated on 4 March 2013 The types of missions flown by Air America’s B-26s and On Marks: About 25 Douglas B-26s, all owned by CIA/USAF/Air Asia, were stored at Tainan,
Taiwan, at various times from June 58 to about 1965. Some were used for CIA or USAF strike missions. The following aircraft
are believed to have been used by Air America pilots on various missions during the sixties. Official Air America papers refer
to these aircraft as to the CEECO B-26s that were to be maintained and modified by Air Asia in 1962 (Minutes ExCom-AACL of
25 September 62, in: UTD/CIA/B7F1). The question was still open in October 62 (Minutes ExCom-AACL of 9 October 62, in: UTD/CIA/B7F1).
CEECO stands for the "Consolidated Electric Equipment Company" (Summary of revenue contracts, in: UTD/Kaufman/B1F4) and apparently
was a front for the CIA‟s Far East Division. CEECO may also be identical with the USAF‟s Logistical Support Group,
as when the remaining B-26 were to be ferried to the Congo in 1964, the order came from the LSG (Memorandum no. DFO-64-444
of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg). On 11 February 1964, all B-26s in South Vietnam
were grounded after a wing had failed on an aircraft in the US (Dorr / Bishop, Statistics according to official Air America documents: - Inventory of 1 February 66, in: UTD/Herd/B2: 0 - Inventories of 31 March 72 > 30 November 72 (in: UTD/CIA/B1F10): 1 A-26A
owned > 0 The individual aircraft histories: Type registration / serial c/n (msn) date acquired origin____________ A) Former Western International Inc. B-26Cs Douglas B-26C "844" ? March 59? Aircraft formerly used by Western International Inc. Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26C "862" ? March 59? Aircraft formerly used by Western International
Inc. Service history: Fate: B) B-26Bs used by Air America pilots in training programs at Tainan The origin of those B-26s seems to go back to the survivors of the campaign
that supported the anti-Sukarno rebels out of Menado, Indonesia in the spring of 1958. In his Memoirs (in: UTD/Leary/I B9F16),
Connie Seigrist notes that on "21 May, all four B-26s […] departed Menado for Tawi Tawi Philippines. […] The […]
four B-26s remained over night in Tawi Tawi. The B-26s had to be refueled which took most of the night using hand pumps to
pump the fuel from 50 gallon drums on the ground up to the wing tanks. 22 May – We proceeded to Clark, refueled, and
departed for Taiwan. […] We flew our four B-26s to our main maintenance base in Tainan to be kept in storage" (p.44).
Some weeks later, Connie Seigrist ferried 3 B-26s from Tainan to Kadena, Okinawa: On 31 July 58, a B-26A, whose tail number
is missing, on 12 August 58 B-26A "3522" (believed to be 44-35221), and on 23 August 58 B-26 "3524" (believed to be 44-35242)
– probably three of those 4 survivors. Apparently it was at Kadena, home of Detachment 2, 1045 In 1959, Air Asia Co Ltd, which already had a large maintenance facility at
Tainan, signed contract no. 59-069 with CEECO covering "Flight Personnel Service" (Memorandum "Contract Administration" of
27 July 62, in: UTD/Fink/B2F16). In his Memoirs (in: UTD/Leary/I B9F16), Connie Seigrist mentions that in August 60, Bob Rousselot
"casually mentioned CAT had a new contract to keep the B-26‟s in good flying condition" (p.46). Already for 16 July
60, Connie Seigrist notes: "I gave four B-26‟s in Tainan a shake down flight each. Test hopping aircraft in fly away
storage at CAT‟s maintenance base in Tainan was a part of my duties as a pilot with CAT" (p.46). From his father‟s
log book, Steve Seigrist identifies these 4 B-26s as "6248", "8188", "8765", and another one, whose tail number is hard to
read, but was probably "8264" (e-mail dated 24 November 2007, kindly sent to the author by Steve Seigrist). For the 3/4/ and
9 August 1960 period, Connie Seigrist notes in his Memoirs (in: UTD/Leary/I B9F16): "I gave the same four B-26‟s I had
tested in July another shake down flight plus another four just brought out of storage" (p.46). From his father‟s log
book, Steve Seigrist identifies the 8 B-26s flown in the 3 to 9 August 60 period as "6248", "8188", "8765", and "8264" of
the first group, plus "6797", "7711", "8434", and "7677" (e-mail dated 24 November 2007, kindly sent to the author by Steve
Seigrist). Only for some of these B-26s the real identities are known from Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in:
http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg. The purpose of these B-26s seems to have been dual, that is to serve as
bombers in areas of trouble in South East Asia (Laos) and elsewhere (Cuba, Africa) and to be used for bombing practice. Four
of these B-26s were delivered to Takhli, Thailand, in December 60 to be used in operation This B-26 was finally requisitioned for use in 'Nam around 1964 and left Hsinchu."
(E-mail dated 9 February 2011, kindly sent to the author by Kent O. Williamson). At the end, probably almost all of them ended
up in Africa. As was noted above, official Air America documents refer to these B-26s as
"CEECO" aircraft, but this name seems not to have been used among the pilots. Joe Hazen, one of those B-26 pilots says: "I
don‟t recall any special names given to the B-26. Probably less said was better. The flying was done to „test‟
the armament of the aircraft. We flew to a Chinese Air Force base [...], and had the guns armed and the bombs, which were
100# WSF (water/sand filled) loaded. We then fired the guns and dropped (skip bomb) the bombs at a range on the base, land,
de-arm, and go back to Tainan." (E-mail dated 5 July 2004, kindly sent to the author by Joe Hazen). According to Morrie Kenstler,
there was a total of 7 aircraft, excluding a Chinese aircraft with dual controls (e-mail dated 29 June 2004 kindly sent to
the author by Morrie Kenstler). CEECO B-26s were still used in 1964 on training missions for bombing, napalm and low-level
strafing practice near Tainan, where they were based (on the video tape made by Ed Eckholdt at 0.19.40, 0.34.58, 1.19.04 minutes).
Douglas B-26C "8264" 28500 October 59 44-35221 Previous history Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26B "8765" (?) October 59 ? Identity: Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26B "6248" 28904 November 59 44-35625 Previous history: Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26B "8188" (?) November 59 ? Identity: Service history: Connie Seigrist at Tainan on 16 July 60 and again in the 3-9 August 60 period
(Connie Seigrist, Fate: Douglas B-26B "7677" (?) January 60 ? Identity: Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26C "6797" 28521 August 60 ex 44-35242 Previous history: believed to have been the B-26 "3524" that Connie Seigrist ferried to Tainan-Kadena
on 23 August 58 (e-mail dated 25 January 2008, kindly sent to the author by Steve Seigrist); painted as "797" (photos of "797"
can be seen on the video tape made by Ed Eckholdt at 0.19.40, 0.34.58, 1.19.04 minutes, and in: Hagedorn / Hellström, Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26B "7711" (?) August 60 ? Identity: Service history: Fate: Douglas B-26B "8434" ? August 60 ? Identity: Service history: Fate: There is no link between the serials of the B-26s used on Taiwan for training
and their former USAF serials or manufacturer‟s serial numbers. C) B-26s flown by Air America pilots in project A black CIA B-26B of project (with kind permission from Gen. H.C. Aderholt) Reportedly, already in December 1960, the CIA secretly flew four black B-26s,
probably left over from Operation Douglas RB-26C "236" 28864 (?) Oct. 61 ex USAF 44-35585 (?) Service history: Fate: 140/1) until 1 April 64, then flown to Clark Field, Philippines, stored there,
and scrapped in late 64 or early 65. Douglas RB-26C "745" 29092 (?) Oct. 61 ex USAF 44-35813 (?) Service history: Fate:
E) Candidates for the Bay of Pigs operation that probably remained
on Taiwan
Although the following B-26s were registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y
Gómez SA, Panama, in April 1961 (Hagedorn / Hellström, Foreign Invaders, p.174; Jones, The Bay of Pigs, p.115), that is to
the CIA cover used for the Bay of Pigs operation, they probably did
not leave Tainan: One of them, HP-318, is known to have flown as “6797” out of Tainan in test programs still on 20 March 61 (log book of Tom Jenny, who kindly sent photocopies of those pages to the author on 22 October 2004). Probably, the reason for giving provisional Panamanian registrations to these aircraft was that they were intended to be registered in the US, and that the FAA would request a certificate of cancellation of the aircraft from its previous owner, and of course, the CIA couldn.t say that they had been theirs. Douglas B-26B HP-318 28521 April 61 ex 44-35242 (Haik) and “6797”
Service history: officially registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez
SA, Panama, in April 1961; probably registered on paper only; had probably been intended for use in the Bay of Pigs operation
in April 61 and was probably to be ferried there by Air America pilots; Air Asia had a contract with Los Hermanos Sebastian
y Gómez SA, whose date of termination was indefinite in July 64 (Aircraft status as of 7 July 64, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1).
Fate: reregistered as HP-322 in 1961; for the subsequent history see there Douglas B-26B HP-318-P 27899 April 61 ex 44-34620 (Haik)
Service history: officially registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez
SA, Panama, in April 61; probably registered on paper only; had possibly been intended for use in the Bay of Pigs operation
in April 61 and was probably to be ferried there by Air America pilots; Air Asia had a contract with Los Hermanos Sebastian
y Gómez SA, whose date of termination was indefinite in July 64 (Aircraft status as of 7 July 64, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1);
officially registered to Gulf Air, Miami, as N5001X (1) on 4 April 1962, but in July 62, this registration, i.e. N5001X (2),
was given to B-26B 44-35698; it is unknown if the aircraft actually participated in the Bay of Pigs operation, but it is more
probable that it remained with Air Asia at Tainan and was used by Air America for crew training all the time.
Fate: returned to the USAF as 44-34620 on 1 July 63 (?); used in operation Farm Gate in South Vietnam until 1 April 64; flown to Clark Field, Philippines, stored there, and scrapped in late 64 or early 65. Douglas B-26B HP-319 27961 April 61 ex 44-34682 (Haik reserve)
Service history: officially registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez
SA, Panama, in April 61; probably registered on paper only; had probably been intended for use in the Bay of Pigs operation
in April 61 and was probably to be ferried there by Air America pilots; Air Asia had a contract with Los Hermanos Sebastian
y Gómez SA, whose date of termination was indefinite in July 64 (Aircraft status as of 7 July 64, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1);
it is unknown if the aircraft actually participated in the Bay of Pigs operation, but it is more probable that it remained
with Air Asia at Tainan and was used by Air America for crew training all the time.
Fate: returned to the USAF as 44-34682 on 10 July 63 (?); used in operation Farm Gate in South Vietnam until 4 September 63, when it was written off due to a flying accident; HP-319 was reportedly cancelled on 22 September 66 due to an accident. Douglas B-26B HP-322 28521 April 61 ex 44-35242 (Haik), “6797”,
and HP-318
Service history: officially registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez
SA, Panama, in April 61; probably registered on paper only; had probably been intended
for use in the Bay of Pigs operation in April 61 and was probably to be ferried there by Air America pilots; Air Asia had a contract with Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez SA, whose date of termination was indefinite in July 64 (Aircraft status as of 7 July 64, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1); remained at Tainan, however; believed to have been one of the B-26Bs that were flown unmarked in Laos between December 1960 and August 1961 for the aborted operation Mill Pond; then probably transferred to Air Asia, Tainan, in August 1961 again and used on training missions for bombing, napalm and low-level strafing practice near Tainan by Air America pilots; Fate: remained at Tainan as “6797”; application of Registration for N5002X on 4 April 1962 for Gulf Air, Miami, but on 12 July 62, that registration was given to another B-26B, that is to B-26B 44-34415 (e-mail dated 2 February 2004, kindly sent to the author by Leif Hellström); so again remained at Tainan as “6797”; see there for the subsequent history Douglas B-26B HP-323 27655 April 61 ex 44-34376 (Haik)
Service history: officially registered to Los Hermanos Sebastian y Gómez
SA, Panama, in April 61; probably registered on paper only; had possibly been intended for use in the Bay of Pigs operation
in April 61 and was probably to be ferried there by Air America pilots; Air Asia had a contract with Los Hermanos Sebastian
y Gómez SA, whose date of termination was indefinite in July 64 (Aircraft status as of 7 July 64, in: UTD/Kirkpatrick/B1F1);
officially registered to Gulf Air, Miami, as N5000X (1) on 4 April 1962, but on 4 June 62, this registration, i.e. N5000X
(2), was given to B-26B 44-34590; it is unknown if the aircraft actually participated in the Bay of Pigs operation, but it
is more probable that it remained with Air Asia at Tainan and was used by Air America for crew training all the time.
Fate: returned to the USAF as 44-34376 on 1 July 63 (?); used in operation Farm Gate in South Vietnam until 1 April 64; flown to Clark Field, Philippines, stored there, and scrapped in late 64 or early 65. F) B-26s ferried by Air Asia / Air America / Southern Air Transport
pilots to other customers:
Rumors say that already in 1962, up to 8 B-26s were ferried to the Congo
for training.
Douglas B-26B ? ? 1 Feb. 64 ex? Service: ? Fate: on 1 February 64, Tom Jenny flew a “non-Company B-26” “per SA/VPFO memo no. 64-009”, which probably was another B-26 that was ferried to the Congo; on 8 February 64, Tom Jenny was back at Tainan, testing Air America Helio Courier “871” (log book of Tom Jenny, who kindly sent photocopies of those pages to the author on 22 October 2004). Douglas B-26B 44-35822 29101 18 Aug. 64 had been refurbished at
Okinawa and at Tainan
Previous history: USAF/Clark AFB to Mill Pond 29 March 61 > Tainan August
61 (?) > Farm Gate June 62 > Clark AFB 1 April 64 > Congo
Service: was to be used in the Congo; see Hagedorn / Hellström, Foreign Invaders, pp. 150 and 155. Left Tainan on 18 August 64 at 9 a.m. local time and flew Takhli-Bombay-Aden, where it arrived on 20 August 64. The contract was no. AF9604-4194 between SAT and the USAF LSG (Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg). Fate: crashed during delivery from Tainan to Leopoldville at Aden on 21 August 64, when the crew (Capt. R. M. Krieg; F/N W. L. Sandors) failed to maintain control of the aircraft on take-off (List “Company operated aircraft lost or destroyed”, in: UTD/CIA/B51F12; Aircraft destroyed or lost, in: UTD/CIA/B49F2; Aircraft accidents 1964, in: UTD/CIA/B49F2; B-26 18-21 August ferry flight, that is Attachment A to Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg). Probably, the other B-26s delivered from Tainan to the Congo were also ferried by Air America / SAT pilots. They were: 44-35890 c/n 29169 Previous history: USAF/Clark AFB to Mill Pond 29 March 61 > Tainan August 61 (?) > Farm Gate August 62 > Clark AFB 1 April 64 > Congo Service history: test flown at Tainan on 20, 21, and 22 August 64 by Tom Jenny who ferried this aircraft Tainan-Takhli-Bombay-Aden-Addis Abeba-Leopoldville between 22 and 25 August 64; according to Tom Jenny.s log book, the test flights at Tainan and the ferry flight were part of Project no. 64-014 within contract no. AF 9604-4194; on 27 August 64, Tom Jenny returned Leopoldville-Paris (log book of Tom Jenny, who kindly sent photocopies of those pages to the author on 22 October 2004). The contract was no. AF9604-4194 between SAT and the USAF LSG (Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg); arrived in the Congo in August 64, became “890”. 44-35804 c/n 29083 Previous history: USAF/Clark AFB to Mill Pond 30 March 61 > Tainan August 61 (?) > Farm Gate August 62 > Clark AFB 1 April 64 > Congo Service history: flown by Capt. Morrie Kenstler (e-mail dated 29 June 2004 kindly sent to the author by Morrie Kenstler) and F/N L. C. Cartwright. The contract was no. AF9604-4194 between SAT and the USAF LSG (Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg); arrived in the Congo on 17/8 August 64, became “804” (e-mail dated 1 Feb. 2004, kindly sent to the author by Leif Hellström). 44-35625 c/n 28904 Previous history: declared obsolete at Clark AFB on 5 September 57, modified from WB-26C to B-26B, and delivered to Tainan Service history: flown out of Tainan as “6248” between 1959 and 1963; arrived in the Congo at a later date (e-mail dated 1 Feb. 2004, kindly sent to the author by Leif Hellström); the contract was no. AF9604-4194 between SAT and the USAF LSG (Memorandum no. DFO-64-444 of 17 August 1964, in: http://www.air-america.net/images/SAT/sat-b26a.jpg). This aircraft belly landed in Africa in 1965 (photo kindly sent to the author by Leif Hellström in June 2004).
Douglas TB-26B B-888 ? 59? ?
Service history: there are no records of this aircraft in the archives of
the CAA of the Republic of China (e-mail dated 26 November 2004, kindly sent to the author by Billy K. C. Chang, Director
General, CAA, Republic of China); had been used by Western International on Taiwan since 1956; used by Air America to train
US crews on Taiwan in November 61 and in February 64; this was the only dual control B-26 flown by Air America crews out of
Tainan; black; it was the only one that a Nationalist Chinese symbol on the fuselage (e-mail dated 12 July 2004 kindly sent
to the author by Joe Hazen); flown by Joe Hazen as “888” on 17 and 18 November 61 as well as on 22, 24, and 28
February 64 (e-mail dated 7 June 2004, kindly sent to the author by Joe Hazen); already on 22 February 64, Joe Hazen had been
requalified in “888” by Truman Barnes (e-mail dated 29 June 08, kindly sent to the author by Joe Hazen); on 17
November 61, Ed Eckholdt was checked out by Bill Beale in this solid nose, 8 gun aircraft on a one hour flight from Tainan
to Tainan; on 26 February 64, Ed Eckholdt and Bob Abrahms were checked out again at Tainan in a 2.00 hours flight, Ed Eckholdt
making one landing, and Bob Abrahms 2 landings; on 27 February 64, Ed Eckholdt made two 2.00 hour flights in B-888 from Tainan
to Tainan: in the first flight, Ed checked out Chuck Cameron and Russ Krieg, and in the second one Morrie Kenstler (info extracted
by Ed Eckholdt from his log book and sent on 11 March 1992 to Leif Hellström, who kindly e-mailed it to the author on 11 July
2004); flown by Tom Jenny out of Tainan in training programs on 22 and 23 February 64 (log book of Tom Jenny, who kindly sent
photocopies of those pages to the author on 22 October 2004); also flown by Morrie Kenstler (e-mail dated 29 June 2004 kindly
sent to the author by Morrie Kenstler).
Fate: ? Douglas A-26A TTD-001 28047 15 August 68 ex N4852V of Coastways
Associates
Previous history: In December 1964, A-26 N4852V (serial 28047) of Coastways
Associates Inc. of Washington left the US for a trilateration and photo mapping survey in Liberia on behalf of the Army Map
Service; later this survey was extended to areas in Southeast Asia on behalf of Gulf Oil Company. In mid-April 1967, during
the final phases of a survey operation, A-26 N4852V encountered mechanical difficulties at Jesselton on Borneo to an extent
that neither returning the aircraft to the US for repairs nor completing repairs abroad was economically practical so that
Coastways wanted to scrap the aircraft. Between 17 and 20 April 67 and between 18 and 22 May 67, Air Asia sent an aircraft
down to Jesselton to pick up the aircraft and ferry it to Tainan, where it was stored until January 68. As part of the payment,
Coastways decided to sell the aircraft to Air Asia, asking permission to do so in their letter dated 23 July 68, sent to the
Office of Munitions Control, US Department of State. In that letter the status of the aircraft is described as follows: “The
aircraft has been stripped of its electronic, and most of the communications and navigation equipment, which was shipped back
to the United States. The hull and engines are currently in dead storage at the facility of Air Asia Company, Limited (AACL)
at Tainan, Taiwan, and AACL has made us an offer to purchase the remains for scrap and salvage.” (Letter dated 23 July
68, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4). Air Asia bought the aircraft on 15 August 68.
Two specially equipped On Mark A-26 Marksman aircraft were acquired from
Intermountain Aviation in April 67 in exchange for Air America.s Douglas DC-6A/B N90784 that went to Intermountain, a transaction
that passed thru the hands of Pan Aero Investment Corporation, Reno. In his letter dated 28 March 67, Air America.s Managing
Director George Doole asked the Company.s President Hugh Grundy: “The purchase price of the On Mark package should be
entered in our books at the same amount as the book value of the properties sold to Pan Aero. We would appreciate being advised
by Treasurer-Controller as to this precise price. Included in the package is approximately 40,000 pounds of spares and equipment,
which will be airlifted to the Far East by the seller. It is expected the first plane load will depart from the U. S. around
April 1. The first of the two On Marks will be ferried under arrangements being made by the seller and will depart from the
U. S. about April 15. The second On Mark should be ready to depart in about three months later after certain modifications
have been completed. Identification markings reserved for these aircraft are as follows:
MSN 27694 N46598 MSN 28977 N67623 A general description of the aircraft and the electronic equipment installed is attached.” (Memorandum dated 28 March 67 by George Doole, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4). Memorandum dated 28 March 67 by George Doole, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4 In his Memorandum No. SA/P-67-64 dated 13 April 67, Air America.s Dave Gluskin indicates the following purpose: “The aircraft were obtained to meet AID.s needs, under USOM/T contract 493-66, for aerial survey work to be undertaken by USOM/T for the RTG. Additionally, they may occasionally be called by AID/L under contract 439-713. Amendments to both these contracts, covering On Marks only, are currently under process with performances there under to commence on or about 1 June 1967. It is understood that a request has been submitted to the insurers to have both these aircraft added to our liability policies. The first aircraft will be positioned at UDN for crew training while the second one is being modified. Initially, it is planned that two Captains and two Navigators will be trained by the ferry crew […] After arrival of the second aircraft, the first will undergo required modification.” (Memorandum No. SA/P-67-64 dated 13 April 67, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4). The description of the aircraft attached to George Doole.s letter of 28 March 67 states that the purpose of the aircraft was “aerial resupply, low-level penetration”, and one might guess that those low-level penetration missions were not only to cover parts of North Vietnam, but also parts of Red China. Description of the On Mark attached to George Doole.s letter of 28 March 67 (in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4) The training team consisted of Donald Gearke (Pilot), Kenneth Rockwell (Navigator), David M. Folkins (Maintenance), Donald M. Carroll (Supply), Paul M. Byrne (Avionics), and Edward L. Picarelle (Avionics) (Memorandum dated 12 April 67, sent by MGDR to VPFO, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4) and belonged to International Consultants Inc. of Houston, Texas. Interestingly, the agreement itself, dated 3 March 67, speaks of “two Douglas On Mark aircraft” that were to be ferried “from the United States to Thailand” and of the subsequent training of Air America crews; but the “Inter-Office routing strip”, by which a copy of this agreement was sent to the VPFO on 16 May 67, seems to refer it only to N46598 (Agreement with International Consultants, dated 3 March 67, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4). Indeed, subsequent documents are only available for N46598: On 11 April 67, it was registered to Air America, and its Certificate of Airworthiness identified it as having been certificated in the “Limited” classification, which means that the aircraft was not allowed to carry passengers or cargo for hire, and that “special permission must be obtained from foreign countries for flights over their territories” (Memorandum dated 20 April 67, sent by Air America.s D. Gluskin (SA/P) to George Doole, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4). OnMark N46598: Certificates of Registration and of Airworthiness
(both in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4) The next problem arose in June 67, when Air America.s J. W. Walker had to
propose a pricing: Additional transition training of the crews, relatively short legs to be flown at low altitude, and especially
the exceptionally high value of the electronic equipment would mean very high prices. So in his letter dated 10 June 67, J.
Walker asked the Managing Director: “We are assuming that our Customer will not be able to find any way to indemnify
us for hull risks. We would appreciate your guidance on this item.” (Letter of 10 June 67, in: UTD/Bisson/B5, microfilm
reel no.4). George Doole.s answer is unknown, as the documentation preserved at the Air America Archives ends with this letter,
and there are no further documents referring to Air America.s second On Mark (N67623) either.
A lot of rumors do exist around these two On Marks: One of them says that one of those aircraft crashed in a thunderstorm in 1968, while operating on a covert program into North Vietnam, killing several people. This myth may have come into existence, because a unit called Heavy Chain, that is the 1198th Operational Evaluation & Training (OE & T) Squadron, based at Norton AFB, was rumored to have had not only some C-130Es, but also 2 1198th Operational Evaluation & Training Squadron (the 1198th O E & T Squadron, as at http://webpages.charter.net/heavychain/reunion2.html) A-26As, and this unit was said to have operated into North Vietnam out of Nha Trang. “The two C-130Es that are mentioned were part of Project HEAVY CHAIN, a classified project that has yet to be declassified, that was based at Norton AFB, California. From what I have been told […], they were highly modified with special electronics equipment to allow them to operate at low level at night in higher threat areas. Although details of their use are still classified, I have been told by someone who knows that they operated out of Nha Trang, where the Air Force had a special detachment including a pair of modified C-130E-1s that worked with the Special Operations Group.” (e-mail dated 29 August 2003, sent by Sam McGowan to Dr. Erik Carlson, who kindly forwarded it to the author) “HEAVY CHAIN is still classified, although some details have emerged. In addition to the two C-130Es, the project did include at least two A-26s. […] Nha Trang was home to several classified units, including the DUCK HOOK C-123s, that were reportedly flown by Chinese national pilots, and STRAY GOOSE, which was a USAF project that is still in existence. Their acknowledged missions were to drop and resupply Vietnamese agents that were dropped into North Vietnam, and later into Laos, but there are whispers that more was involved.” (e-mail dated 6 September 2003, kindly sent to the author by Sam McGowan) Another myth says that one of the On Marks or maybe both of them were used out of Tainan on Taiwan to drop agents into coastal areas close to Hong Kong. This myth could even explain why the On Marks looked like business aircraft, because a business aircraft going astray on its way to or from Hong Kong airport would have been a good cover story, if it was detected over China. What has created that myth is hard to say: perhaps rumors that connected Heavy Chain with missions into China – the “whispers” mentioned above – or maybe the assumption that some of the covert flights operated out of Udorn might have gone into China. Whatever may have originated those myths, the facts that can be established from documents and other reliable sources contradict them and are far less poetic. Air America On Mark B-26 N46598 at Udorn
in April 67 and in June 67 (UTD/Hickler/B33) (with kind permission from Frank Bonansinga)
over Laos on 29 July 67, with Frank Bonansinga at the controls (photo kindly submitted by Frank Bonansinga) On Mark Marksman N46598 27694 April 67 ex N900V; prev. USAF 44-34415
+ N5002X (2)
Previous history: This aircraft had been regd. as N5002X (2) to Gulf Air
Inc, Miami, FL, on 12 July 62, then sold to Intermountain Aviation, AZ, on 30 January 63; sold to
On Mark Engineering Corp., Van Nuys, CA, on 12 July 63; converted to On Mark Marksman; sold to Intermountain Aviation, Marana, AZ as N900V on 15 February 64and reregd. as N900V on 24 February 64; sold to Atlantic General Enterprises Inc, Washington, DC, for tests on 4 August 64; sold back to Intermountain Aviation, Marana, AZ, on 29 March 65. In 1966, Intermountain.s N900V was equipped with a Intermountain Aviation OnMark N900V at Marana, AZ in the mid-sixties (photo taken by Paul Holsen, kindly submitted by Frank Bonansinga) terrain following radar; Certificate of Airworthiness issued to N46598 on 7 September 66 (in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4), so it was N46598 already at that time; tested by LTV Electrosystems, Greenville, TX, until 1967; sold to Pan Aero Investment, Reno, NV, on 3 February 67; sold to Air America as N46598 on 5 April 67; still on the 1 January 68 USCAR as N900V with Intermountain: In the file, the number “46598” was only inserted with pen above “N900V” (all details from the official FAA file thanks to Leif Hellström, e-mail dated 6 February 2004 to the author). Service history: officially reregistered to Air America as N46598 on 11 April 67 (Certificate of Registration, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4); ferried to South-East Asia in mid-April 67, then used for training at Udorn from the second half of April to June 67; seen at Udorn April 67 and July 67; photos can be found in: UTD/Hickler/B33, and Hagedorn / Hellström, Foreign Invaders, p. 172; between 31 May 67 and 11 June 67, Frank Bonansinga made several training rides out of Udorn (T-08) in N46598, then, on 12 June 67, he was checked out captain in a flight out of Udorn (Log book of Frank Bonansinga, checked by the author on 10 March 2004 at Frank.s home); on 16 June 67, Frank Bonansinga flew a night drop mission in N46598, but received gun fire; on 18 June 67, he ferried N46598 from Savannakhet (L-39) to Udorn (T-08) and back to Savannakhet (Log book of Frank Bonansinga, checked by the author on 10 March 2004 at Frank.s home); used for nightly low-level supply drops over Laos, but proved unsuitable for the task, because the aircraft was too fast and too similar to a B-26 bomber, so that people on the ground did not turn on the signal light (Jim Rhyne, in: UTD/Leary/B1 for 30 June 67); on 22 July 67, the right engine of N46598 had trouble during a 2 hours flight out of Udorn, so that an engine change was needed (Log book of Frank Bonansinga); the last flight on the night-drop program was made on 11 October 67, and on that flight there were engine problems (e-mail dated 9 June 2004, kindly sent to the author by Frank Bonansinga); continued to fly for Air America, but just doing transportation flights; departed Takhli probably on 14 April 68 (e-mail dated 9 June 2004, kindly sent to the author by Frank Bonansinga). Fate: sold to Overseas Aeromarine Inc, Seattle, on 30 March 68, and registered to them as N46598 on 4 April 68 (details from the official FAA file thanks to Leif Hellström, e-mail dated 6 February 2004 to the author); flown to Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base in mid-April 68; damaged on take-off from Takhli on the ferry flight to the USA in mid-April 68 (e-mail dated 26 June 2001 by Frank Bonansinga to the author) and burned; Don Gearke remembers: “The crash was caused by a anti-shimmy poppet valve in the nose strut. Seigrist had warned me about that happening several years before. He said they lost a couple of 26's in Bay of Pigs training. I never had a chance to read the (classified) AAR, but it would take a miracle to get the old girl airworthy. It burned, and as I remember, [Jim] Keck had some trouble getting out. It.s quite an experience to have an airplane disintegrate under your butt. We had started on the first leg to ferry the thing back to CONUS, and the crash may have saved our lives. The plane had been parked in Laos for several months and had deteriorated badly. We planned the flight for the north route thru the Aleutians with minimum fuel at Attu. A C130 was to follow us. As it turned out the Herk took us home” (e-mail dated 23 April 2005); Air America.s Aircraft status report of 1 May 68 (preserved in: UTD/Herd/B2) notes: “returned April 68”; not on the 1 January 68 USCAR. Apparently, the damaged aircraft was given to the 1198th Operational Evaluation & Training (OE & T) Squadron, like its sister ship N67623 that was to follow later. A former member of the 1198th OE&T Squadron recalls the On Mark B-26s: “We picked up two from Intermountain. They gave them to us as no one wanted them. They were just a toy for us. We landed one nose gear up at Norton and I don.t know what became of it afterwards. We never used it in missions. It had a DC-7 nose so two pilots could fly side by side. It had a place for an Electronic Warfare Officer over the wing box and in the back were seats and a back door for jumping and jump lights. I left the Sqdn before they were disposed of.” (e-mail dated 29 July 2007, kindly sent to the author). But is seems that the Blue Goose did not survive with the Squadron for a very long time – probably because it had been damaged beyond repair in that accident. A former member of the maintenance personnel assigned to the 1198th OE&T Squadron recalls that he was involved in “the total dismantling of both of those aircraft. One in Thailand and the other at Norton and they were sold for scrap. They both had the same problem. Nose gear failure.” (e-mail dated 30 July 2007). This seems to have happened some time after the April 68 accident, as on 18 September 68, the registration of the aircraft was officially cancelled as “scrapped” (details from the official FAA file thanks to Leif Hellström, e-mail dated 6 February 2004 to the author). On Mark Marksman N800V 28977 67 Intermountain Aviation, Marana,
AZ
Previous history: This B-26B, former USAF 44-35698, had been regd. as N5001X
(2) to Gulf Air Inc, Miami, FL, in July 62, then sold to Intermountain Aviation, AZ, in 1963; sold to On Mark Engineering
Corp., Van Nuys, CA, in July 63; converted to On Mark Marksman; sold to Intermountain Aviation, Marana, AZ, and reregistered
as N800V on 16 January 64; equipped with a terrain following radar in 1966.
Service history: According to the FAA the records were destroyed in March 89 (Letter dated 15 April 2003, sent by the FAA to the author); believed operated by Air America with false registration N46358 (or perhaps N58071??) out of Brownsville, TX in 1966; intended for nightly low-level supply drops over Laos, but did not fly with the night-drop program (e-mail dated 23 April 2001 sent by Frank Bonansinga to the author); not on the US Civil Aircraft Register of 1 January 68; this second On Mark was part of the deal with Intermountain, when Air America exchanged their DC-6A/B N90784 against the 2 On Marks in March 67 (Memorandum no. C287P dated 28 March 67, sent by Air America.s Managing Director George Doole to the Company.s President Hugh Grundy, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel no.4); N800V was the aircraft that was to receive some more modifications; Don Gearke recalls: “My records show 800 was in Marana during the time 900 (or it.s alias) was being used or parked at Udorn. The flights of 800 at LGB, actually, Norton, was of course, after the aforementioned. I believe the training at this time was to turn 800 over to the Air Force, or whomever. My logbook shows I flew 800 sporadically during the time frame you mentioned [that is April 67 to June 68]. This was just prior to the Norton delivery.” (e-mail dated 23 April 2005 kindly sent o the author by Don Gearke); flown by Don Gearke out of Long Beach, CA, in the first week of June 1968 checking out persons who seemed to belong to the USAF (e-mail dated 12 April 2005, kindly sent to the author by Don Gearke). Don Gearke recalls: “My company logbook shows my last flight in said airplane was in the first week in June 1968, and shows local flights from Long Beach. I never had the plane in Long Beach, but during that week I was probably working out of a west coast AFB, and checked out two pilots who I felt certain were Air Force, at least military. Both were very good, and as I remember, the operation was enjoyable. […] I assumed these guys were probably headed for some mission, since they seemed somewhat familiar with the equipment” (E-mail dated 11 April 2005, kindly sent to the author by Don Gearke). Fate: transferred to the USAF.s 1198th Operational Evaluation & Training Squadron (Heavy Chain), Norton AFB, in June 68, probably as N67623 and probably on loan from Air America, who was probably still the official owner; when N800V was acquired by Air America from Intermountain in March 67, it was due to be reregistered (e-mail dated 24 December 2004, kindly sent to the author by Don Gearke) as N67623; this registration had been reserved since at least March 67 (Memorandum dated 28 March 67 by George Doole, in: UTD/Bisson/B5 microfilm reel 4), although a first choice seems to have been N58071 (when John Davis acquired a microfilm of the FAA cards in 1972/3, they had the following entry: “N58071 B-26B 28977, deleted & replaced with 44-35698. „Now [N]67623..” (e-mail dated 9 April 2005, kindly sent to the author by John Davis); not on the 1 January 68 USCAR; Norton AFB was the home of the 1198th Operational Evaluation & Training Squadron (Heavy Chain) that tested electronic modifications of C-130s at that time (e-mail dated 15 November 2004, kindly sent to the author by Mark Sublette); generally speaking, the 1198th was a highly classified organization created to do classified missions anywhere in the world (1198 Squadron home page, at http://webpages.charter.net/heavychain/ ); a former member of the 1198th OE&T Squadron recalls the On Mark B-26s: “We picked up two from Intermountain. They gave them to us as no one wanted them. They were just a toy for us. We landed one nose gear up at Norton and I don.t know what became of it afterwards. We never used it in missions. It had a DC-7 nose so two pilots could fly side by side. It had a place for an Electronic Warfare Officer over the wing box and in the back were seats and a back door for jumping and jump lights. I left the Sqdn before they were disposed of.” (e-mail dated 29 July 2007, kindly sent to the author). As the Blue Goose was already destroyed in Thailand in 1968, and as “the two a/c [that is N800V and N900V] were identical, even inside” (e-mail dated 23 April 2005, kindly sent to the author by Don Gearke), the On Mark at Norton must have been N800V or its alias N67623. As the former member of the 1198th OE&T Squadron, who knows about the On Mark accident at Norton AFB, left the unit in 1969, the period when N800V or its alias N67623 landed nose gear up at Norton must have been 1968/9. It was probably after that accident that the On Mark that looked exactly like Air America.s Blue Goose languished in a secure area at Norton AFB between 1969 to about 1971/2 (e-mail dated 24 February 2004, kindly sent to the author by Tom Wickstrom). In September 1971, Air America, who was probably the official owner of N800V or its alias N67623 still at that time, decided to return a mysterious aircraft (type unknown) to Intermountain (Memorandum of 29 September 71, p. 6, in: UTD/CIA/B19F8). If that memorandum refers to our On Mark, Air America probably learned that that aircraft could no longer be repaired and returned. Seen from outside the Squadron, one day in 1971 or 1972 the On Mark disappeared from Norton AFB (e-mail dated 24 February 2004, kindly sent to the author by Tom Wickstrom). A former member of the maintenance personnel assigned to the 1198th OE&T Squadron recalls that he was involved in “the total dismantling of both of those aircraft. One in Thailand and the other at Norton and they were sold for scrap. They both had the same problem. Nose gear failure.” (e-mail dated 30 July 2007). That is what already Don Gearke had presumed: “Just had a chat with Dave Folkins and mentioned 800V. He said it came to it.s end by the same problem that caused 900 to crash, except it was in Air Force possession at that time. He didn.t know when or where it happened” (e-mail dated 23 April 2005, kindly sent to the author by Don Gearke). Problems:
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