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P-39 Airacobra
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| Profile |
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| Service
| US Army Air Force |
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| Unit
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| Location
| Fiji |
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| Year Recovered
| 2006 |
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| Further Details |
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On April 22, 1942 Blose and another pilot, 2/Lt William S Shaw, departed Nausori Airdrome, Viti Levu Island, Fiji, on an airborne alert mission. Soon after takeoff, bad weather forced the pilots to fly below the level of several mountaintops in the area and land their P-39D Airacobras at Nandi Airdrome. Shaw successfully landed his plane, but Blose was not seen or heard from again. Initial ground searches in the thick jungles and rugged terrain were unsuccessful.
In late 2004, a Fiji citizen reported to a US official in Fiji that he located possible aircraft wreckage on Viti Levu Island. The official visited the site and saw the wreckage bearing a data plate that correlated to Blose’s plane. JPAC investigated the crash site in early 2005 and collected additional data plate information.
In 2006, a JPAC team excavated the site and recovered human remains and other items including a pilot’s microphone electrical plug with Blose’s initials on it. |
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| Personnel |
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| 1/Lt James W Blose, O-427506 |
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22/08/2010
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