F-86D 52-3623 crash 15 miles northeast of Tucson AZ on July 8, 1957
Copyright © Chris McDoniel
Two F-86s from Davis-Monthan’s 15th Fighter Interceptor Squadron collided over the Catalina Mountains. Both pilots successfully bailed out. F-86D, 52-3623, crashed into the Catalina Mountains, Tucson, AZ. Much of this debris is located off the Butterfly Trail.
The other F-86 righted itself after the pilot bailed out and flew east until it ran out of fuel and crashed in New Mexico.
F-86D-41NA, s/n 52-3623, 1st Lt. Gerrit H. Van Vliet (Gary Van Vliet)
F-86D-41NA, s/n 52-3605, 1st Lt. Joseph James Onate
Landing gear and possible firewall. Photo from my personal collection.
Landing gear from a recent trip to revisit the crash site.
Might have been a battery box. I don’t think it was an ammo can.
Door Lock mechanism? It was hard to read.
Original crash site photo from my personal collection.
Portion of the wing. (P-38.com was my old website.)
Scattered debris at B-18 crash site.
Agassiz Peak