U-2A 56-6712 Article 379 crash near I-10 and Wilmot Tucson Arizona December 18 1964

U-2A 56-6712 Article 379 crash near I-10 and Wilmot Tucson Arizona December 18, 1964

U-2A 56-6712, ARTICLE 379, CRASH SE OF TUCSON, ARIZONA

After about 24 trips into the area, I finally stumbled upon very very small debris. Until somebody proves me wrong, I’m thinking this is the elusive U-2 in the area of Wilmot and I-10.

On December 18, 1964, Fermosa (now commonly called Taiwan) pilot Captain Shi-Hi Sheng took off from Davis-Monthan on a high altitude reconnaissance flight. The pilot encountered bad weather around 10,000 feet. Unable to control the plane, he successfully bailed out of the U-2. The “LO” on a few pieces makes me think this is the U-2. No other Lockheed plane crashed in the vicinity.

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