Aviation archaeology, also known as aerospace archaeology, aircraft archaeology, crash hunting, wreck chasing, or wreckology, is an activity practiced by both outdoor recreationists and academics in pursuit of finding, documenting, recovering, and preserving sites important in aviation history. For the most part, these sites are aircraft wrecks and crash sites, but also include structures and facilities related to aviation.
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Post World War II history
The activity dates to post-World War II Europe when, after the conflict, numerous aircraft wrecks studded the countryside. Many times, memorials to those involved in the crashes were put together by individuals, families, landholders, or communities.
As the activity grew in size and popularity, laws and regulations were created in some areas to counter problems created, such as trespassing and the disturbance of "war graves". In the United Kingdom, regardless of nationality or the date of crash, all military aircraft crash sites are protected in the Protection of Military Remains Act. Under the act, passed into law in 1986 it is a criminal offense for anyone without a license to tamper with, damage, move, remove or unearth any part of a crashed military aircraft [1][2].
In the United States, the activity remains relatively unknown, and has little regulation. However, under the recently-passed 'Sunken Military Craft Act', it is illegal to disturb the wreck sites of U.S. Naval or any submerged military aircraft[3] and, under National Transportation Safety Board(NTSB) part 830, any aircraft whose accident cause is under investigation.[4] The U.S. Air Force has no policies against the hobby, unless human remains remain unrecovered at the site.
Current day
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Crash sites vary in size and content; some may have fuselages, engines, and thousands of parts and debris. Other sites, like in civilian/commercial crashes, the Federal Aviation Administration and the NTSB will have almost all of the aircraft and debris removed; which makes aviation archaeology more challenging. Remains of military aircraft crash sites may also be removed by various aircraft restoration groups, particularly if the aircraft was found largely intact. There are different laws, rules, and procedures, depending on the jurisdiction or land ownership that will dictate the removal or non-removal of aircraft remains. Such agencies as US Forest Service, National Park Service, US Air Force, US Navy, US Army, US Marines, city and county governments, and land ownership will all participate in the outcome of accident remains.
In general, most recent-day (since the 1980s) aircraft crashes are removed entirely, leaving very little to indicate the existence of a wreck.
Also, foreign nations will have their set of laws and protocols.
For example, military crashes in Arizona originate from numerous air bases, past and present. Because of the warm and sunny weather, much of the U.S. Army Air Forces flight training was located in the state, both during and after WWII. Numerous air bases dotted the states - creating conditions for numerous training accidents.[5] Old abandoned US Army Air Corp auxiliary fields and converted fields to city municipal airports provides archaeological sites to be researched and investigated.[6]
Keeping a record of a crash site, such as photographs, maps, journals, logs, and all terrain and weather recordings are essential, i.e. the Glenwood Springs, Colorado, B-17 crash site[7] or the Tells Peak, CA, B-17 crash site [8].
The internet is an ideal media for sharing, recording, educating, and promoting aviation archaeology as a hobby, as well as research projects for local and state aviation historical groups. For identifying aircraft type and manufacturer by part numbers[9] and manufacturing inspection stamps[10] can be analysed. From detailed GPS data & maps, to researching accident reports information, numerous resources help create a complete picture of the historic event. Accident reports, such as the official US Air Force Accident Report[11] Form 14 becomes the foundation of archaeology research. From there, newspaper articles, county clerk records, sheriff & coroner reports, and library records all aid an aviation archaeologist in their research.
Abandoned missile silos and sites
California has missile launch sites abandoned by the US Army.[12] Archaeological research includes these sites throughout the United States. Exploring and hiking around abandoned silos and sites may constitute trespassing as well as being dangerous.[13] Permission from current land owners or caretakers is imperative. Research and formal site investigations adds to the historical record of the Cold War[14]
As a profession
Aviation archaeologists, crosstrained in other areas of study, are found in the employ of Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC), traveling to former war zones throughout the world, to search for the remains of American servicemen and women that have been lost. Many of these losses involve aircraft mishaps in remote and difficult to reach areas. A group of volunteers, under the banner of "The BentProp Project", have pursued American military wreck sites and remains without disturbing them; their findings are forwarded to JPAC.
Professional aviation archaeologists may also be involved in the recovery of near-complete examples of wrecked or abandoned aircraft for profit. The clients of these professionals range from private individuals and aviation museums, to government agencies. Often these aircraft are in remote areas, which aids wreckage preservation.[15] Examples include Glacier Girl, a Lockheed P-38 that was successfully recovered from below the Greenland ice cap, and restored to airworthy condition, and Kee Bird, a B-29 Superfortress also abandoned on the Greenland ice cap, but severely damaged by recovery efforts.
In June 2009, a symposium on the topic of wreckchasing and aviation archaeology was held in northern California at Moffett Field near Mountain View.[16]
See also
- Accidents and incidents in aviation
- Air safety
- Crash cover
- Industrial archaeology
- Protection of Military Remains Act 1986
- Wreck diving
References
- ^ "UK Aviation Archaeology and the Law". Archived from the original on 2007-10-11. http://web.archive.org/web/20071011074324/http://historyhuntersinternational.org/index.php?page=12.
- ^ Text of the 'Protection of Military Remains Act 1986" (UK)
- ^ *Text of the 'Sunken Military Craft Act' (US)
- ^ NTSB 830 - U.S. Accident Preservation Regulations (US)
- ^ Arizona Crash History
- ^ Eastern Colorado Abandoned and Converted Airfields
- ^ Glenwood Springs, CO, B-17 Crash Site
- ^ Tells Peak B-17C Crash Site - Check-Six.com
- ^ Part Prefix Numbers by Aircraft Type and Manufacturer List
- ^ Unique Manufacturer Inspection Stamp Chart
- ^ Sterling City, TX, B-36 Accident Report
- ^ US Army Nike Missile Sites
- ^ History of Missile Silos
- ^ Wikipedia - Minuteman Missile National Historic Site
- ^ Hoffman, Carl (2001). Hunting Warbirds - The Obsessive Quest for the Lost Aircraft of World War II. Ballantine Books. p. 245. ISBN 0-345-43617-2.
- ^ Wreckchasing Message Board, Wreckchasing Symposium Update
- All references accessed 5 November 2009.
Additional reading
- Freeze, Christopher (2005). The Wreck Chaser's Bible. Check-Six. p. 2 vols.. ISBN 0-9765562-1-9, ISBN 0-9765562-2-7. http://www.check-six.com/mall/wreckbible.htm.
- Gero, David (1999). Military Aviation Disasters-Significant Losses Since 1908. Patrick Stephens Limited, Haynes Publishing, UK. ISBN 1-85260-574-X. http://www.haynes.com.
- Jung, Silvano (2001). Wings Beneath the Sea: the aviation archaeology of Catalina Flying Boats in Darwin Harbour, Northern Territory. Unpublished Master of Arts thesis, Northern Territory University (now Charles Darwin University), Darwin, Northern Territory, Australia.
- McNab,Chris (2005). The World's Worst Military Disasters-Chronicling the Great Battlefield Catastrophes of All Time. Barnes&Noble Books, NY. ISBN 0-7607-7090-1. http://www.amberbooks.co.uk.
- Merlin, Peter W. & Moore, Tony (2008). X-Plane Crashes: Exploring Experimental, Rocket Plane, and Spycraft Incidents, Accidents and Crash Sites; Specialty Press, North Branch, Minnesota. ISBN 158007121X
- Mireles, Anthony J. (2005). Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945. McFarland & Co. Inc., Jefferson, NC. ISBN 0-7864-2106-1.
- Veronico, Nicholas A., Ed Davies, et al. Wreckchasing: A Guide to Finding Aircraft Crash Sites; Pacific Aero Press, Castro Valley, Calif., 1993. ISBN 0963633201
- Veronico, Nicholas A., Ed Davies, Michael B. McComb, Donald B. McComb. Wreckchasing 2: Commercial Aircraft Crashes and Crash Sites; World Transport Press, Miami, Fla. 1996. ISBN 096267303X
External links
- US sites
- National Park Service's National Register Bulletin: Guidelines for evaluating and documenting historic aviation properties
- AircraftArchaeology.com - aircraft wrecks in Arizona and the Southwest
- AviationArchaeology.com - a national aviation archaeology and educational site
- Check-Six.com - aviation archaeology, store, before & after photos
- ColoradoAviationArchaeology.org - non-profit aviation archaeology and educational site
- OKwreckchasing.org - aviation archaeology site & message board
- TIGHAR.org - The International Group for Historic Aircraft Recovery
- US Army Nike site information
- Wreckchasing.com - information & message board
- The X-Hunters.com - aerospace archaeology site and test pilot tributes
- UK sites
- British Aviation Archaeological Council - official site
- Thameside Aviation Museum - aviation archaeology
- Peak District plane wrecks
- International
- Waymarking.com - coordinates for selected crash sites
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