The crash happened on take-off in Kankakee,IL and the master cylinder in the #2 engine let go.

In the footage ( See video ) from the ground, this is starting to take effect before brakes were even released. The aircraft rotated and the gear was just beginning to retract when the engine fully let go and she began to torque roll. Fortunately her right wing tip struck the ground and kept her upright. However this also took about 8 inches of wing tip off and ground the very end of the spar. After hitting her wing tip, she slammed side ways back onto the taxiway and this torqued her entire airframe from the nose to the very last rib in the tail cone. She then proceeded to slide off a berm at the end of the runway and became airborne again before landing one more time in a wheat field and coming to a stop.

When she impacted the wheat field her glass nose literally exploded and the metal broke into two halves. The #2 engine broke from its mount and a small fire started but was quickly put out. Her back also broke right behind the gunners compartment and the main landing gear was shoved up through the wells. The entire nosecase from the #1 engine came out and two of the blades did some damage when they seperated. One blade came over the top of the canopy taking off the right hand clam shell while the other bounced down the armor plating inbetweem the fuselage and nacelle.

If the power had simply been pulled back or if she had bellied straight ahead, she would have a good chance of flying again, but because she hit sideways she is completely torqued and her spars are also probably cracked from the flexing they took. 

 The aircraft was almost back to 100% stock. About the only things left to do to her was add the periscope in the gunners compartment, make the turret operable, finish bringing her cockpit back, and then get her 6 gun nose back that she wore in Korea.

She was the A-26 raced at Reno and flown around known as "Cotton Ginny".

Note 1.

44-35696 was painted silver when Dwight reimer owned her and when CF acquired her. She arrived in Texas still sporting the R on her tail as well as her Race 26.

She was initially painted black with yellow trim. It wasn't until her 2nd Koren crew chief recognized her serial number at an airshow in northern Alabama that her specific wartime history was learned. After some verification and additional research we put her back to match late 1952.


When the Collings Foundation acquired the plane she carried a sixgun hardnose. She was built as a C model with the glass nose. The glass nose was swapped out during its refit as a Korean War replacement at McClellan. The C model nose was reinstalled prior to knowing why the hardnose was on her.

 

Wally McDonald and Dwight both have silver A-26s. McDonald's had tip tanks and Reimer's was named "Cotton Jenny". I realize 44-35696 was a combat vet and painted in wartime markings when owned by CF. However that was not the case when owned by Reimer.

 

	Above 696 at Reno in 1980 The two shots above are of N8036E when she was at Waukegan Il. before she acquired her top turret N8063E is seen here taxiing at the EAA Fly In at Oshkosh The remaing three shots above were taken at an air show in Dixon, IL Serial #: 44-35696 Construction #: 28975 Civil Registration:   N8036E Model(s):   A-26C   B-26C Name: My Mary Lou Status: Restoration Last info: 2005   History: Delivered to USAF as 44-35696, 28th may 1945. May 1945 To Douglas Modification Center, Tulsa OK Jul 1945 To Kirtland NM Aug 1945 To Salinas AAFld CA Sep 1945 To Long Beach CA Sep 1945 To Love Field TX Sep 1945 To Grenada AAFld  MS Dec 1945 To Hobbs AAFld NM Jan 1946 To 4160th Base Unit, Hobbs AAFld  NM Jun 1947 To 4127th Base Unit McClellan AAFld Jul 1948 Redesignated B-26C Nov 1950 To Sacramento Air Material Area (Air Material Command), McClellan AFB CA, for storage. Apr 1952 Removed from storage Aug 1952 To 6400th Air Base Wing (Far East Air Material Command), unstated location, probably Japan Oct 1952 To 17th Bomb Wing (Light) (Far East Air Forces), Miho AB Japan Nov 1952 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Dec 1952 Returned to Miho AB Japan Dec 1952 Deployed to Pusan  AB South Korea Jan 1953 Returned to Miho AB Japan Feb 1953 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Mar 1953 Returned to Miho AB Japan Mar 1953 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea May 1953 Returned to Miho AB Japan May 1953 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Jun 1953 Returned to Miho AB Japan Jun 1953 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Aug 1953 Returned to Miho AB Japan Sep 1953 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Jan 1954 Returned to Miho AB Japan Feb 1954 Deployed to Pusan AB South Korea Mar 1954 Returned to Miho AB Japan Jul 1954 To Shin Mitsubishi Plant, Komaki Japan, for work Oct 1954 To 17th Bomb Wing (Light) (FEAF), Pusan AB South Korea Oct 1954 Deployed to Miho AB Japan Dec 1954 Deployed to Kunsan AB South Korea Dec 1954 Deployed to Miho AB Japan Apr 1955 Deployed to Eglin AFB FL Jul 1955 To 345th Tactical Bombardment Group (Tactical Air Command), Langley AFB VA Jan 1956 To 122nd Tactical Bombardment Group Squadron (Air National Guard) , New Orleans Airport, New Orleans LA Oct 1956 To Mobile Air Material Area (AMC), Brookley AFB AL Feb 1957 To 122nd Tactical Bombardment Squadron (ANG), New Orleans Airport , New Orleans LA Jun 1957 To San Bernardino Air Material Area (AMC), Davis Monthan AFB AZ, for storage Sep 1957 Dropped from the USAF inventory by authorized reclamation, Davis Monthan AFB AZ L. B. Smith Aircraft Corp, Miami, FL, 1963. - Registered as N8036E. Richard B. Almour, Tucson, AZ, 1964. William E. Strader, Fresno, CA, 1966-1977. Dwight Reimer, Shafter, CA, 1978-1981. - Flown as race #26/Cotton Jenny. (See note 1) Courtesy Aircraft Inc, Rockford, IL, 1984. Robert Collings / Collings Foundation, Stowe, MA, Sept. 20, 1985-2005 Crashed on takeoff, Kankakee, IL, June 22, 1993. ( See video ) - Under restoration for static display, Uvalde, TX, 1998-1999. - Marked as 435696/BC-696/My Mary Lou. Note NTSB Identification: CHI93DEE02 . The docket is stored in the Docket Management System (DMS). Please contact Records Management Division 14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation Accident occurred Sunday, June 27, 1993 in KANKAKEE, IL Probable Cause Approval Date: 10/20/1994 Aircraft: DOUGLAS B-26B, registration: N8036E Injuries: 2 Minor. THE AIRPLANE'S RIGHT ENGINE LOST POWER SHORTLY AFTER LIFT-OFF. THE PILOT SAID HE ATTEMPTED TO FEATHER THE RIGHT ENGINE PROPELLER, BUT THE PROPELLER WOULD NOT FEATHER. HE WAS UNABLE TO MAINTAIN ALTITUDE, AND THE AIRPLANE CRASHED JUST OFF THE RUNWAY. POSTACCIDENT EXAMINATION OF THE RIGHT ENGINE DISCLOSED A FRACTURED/PARTIALLY DISINTEGRATED PISTON IN THE NUMBER TEN CYLINDER. THE RIGHT ENGINE'S PROPELLER FEATHERING SYSTEM WAS ALSO INOPERATIVE. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows: the failure of the piston assembly in the number ten cylinder of the right engine. A factor associated with the accident was the inoperative propeller feathering system for the right engine.

HISTORY OF THE FLIGHT

On June 27, 1993, at 1240 hours, central daylight time, a Douglas B-26B, N8036E, collided with the ground in a field adjacent to a taxiway at the Greater Kankakee Airport, Kankakee, Illinois, during takeoff on runway 04. The Airline Transport Pilot and single passenger received minor injuries. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The aircraft was being operated under 14 CFR Part 91, departing from an on-going airshow when the accident occurred. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. A VFR flight plan had been filed. The pilot stated that at approximately 140 MPH he performed liftoff and immediately began losing substantial power on the right engine. The aircraft banked to the right and the right wingtip impacted the ground between the runway and taxiway.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

The aircraft, a single-pilot World War II bomber, is operated by the Collings Foundation as a display of past military aircraft.

WRECKAGE/IMPACT INFORMATION

The right propeller impacted 2 blade strikes on the northwest edge of the taxiway. The left propeller impacted eight blade strikes to the southeast side of the taxiway. The aircraft came to rest on a heading of 090 degrees, approximately 250 feet off the taxiway, in a wheat field.

The right wingtip received substantial damage to the outer 5 feet of the wing assembly and aileron.

The left propeller and engine nose case housing separated from the aircraft as a combined unit. They were recovered approximately 100 feet behind the aircraft's resting position, and approximately 25 feet to the right of the aircraft crash path.

An on-site external examination of the right engine and nacelle was performed.

The scavenge oil pump screen contained a substantial amount of ferrous and non-ferrous metal pieces. The screen was not plugged.

The pressure oil screen contained ferrous and non-ferrous metal particles. These particles were found in the lower layers of the screen assembly. They did not stop the flow of oil through the screens.

Pistons in cylinders of the front bank (8[master rod], 10,12,14,16) did not move with the crankshaft rotation.

Cylinder #10 has a hole in the side of the barrel, adjacent to cylinder #12. The connecting rod and piston assembly are not in place. Pieces of piston, piston pin, connecting rods (2), and a piece of the master connecting rod was removed through the hole in this cylinder.

Cylinder #12 has a dent in the side of the barrel adjacent to #10 cylinder. The spark plug electrodes contained substantial metal pieces. Pieces of piston ring were removed through the spark plug holes. An unidentified ferrous metal piece, not that of a piston ring, could not be removed through the spark plug hole.

A piece of a connecting rod was externally lodged between cylinders #10 and #9.

A broken piston pin was found above the spark plug of #11 cylinder.

The propeller control cable was not attached to the propeller governor control arm.

No visible external damage (dents) appeared to the feathering pump assembly. The motor brushes (4) were approximately 1/2 in long. The phenolic brush block mount was broken and did not allow 1 brush to make contact with the commutator of the feathering pump motor.

FIRE

The fire was limited to the right engine and nacelle. It destroyed all electrical system wiring and relays, engine fluid and instrument lines and hoses, and the engine control mount at the firewall.

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