Fighter plane Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40 from World War II found

Mike Gallagher

May 11, 2012 - 18:38

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Fighter plane Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40 from World War II found

Heading home: The RAF Museum at Hendon, north London, has been made aware of the discovery and plans are underway to recover the aircraft for exhibition in the future

A fighter plane from World War II that crashed in the Sahara 70 years ago has been unearthed, and holds clues to a missing pilot.

The Telegraph reports that the intact American-made Curtiss Kittyhawk P-40, which had remained untouched since its crash landing in 1942, was discovered by a Polish oil company worker, Jakub Perka, who was exploring a remote region of the Weste Desert in Egypt, about 200 miles from the nearest town.

It is believed that the airman, Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping, 24, initially survived the crash, because a parachute found at the scene looks to have been used as a makeshift shelter. But no trace of the body was found, leaving experts to believe the pilot walked away from the flight, then walked to his death in a hopeless attempt to find civilization.

$\"Shifting$

Shifting sands: The final resting place of the Kittyhawk P-40 has been discovered in the Sahara 70 years after it crashed there

$\"Time$

Time capsule: Aside from the damage it sustained during impact, the aircraft appears to have been almost perfectly preserved in the sands of the Sahara

$\"Chance$

Chance discovery: The single-seater aircraft was found by a Polish oil company worker exploring a remote region of the weste desert in Egypt

$\"At$

At the controls: The plane's cockpit, but there are fears over what will be left of it after locals began stripping parts and instruments for souvenirs and scrap

$\"Unseen$

Unseen and untouched: Equipment and controls from the plane were found scattered around the craft at the crash site. The plane is still in very good condition

$\"Intact:$

Intact: Most of the plane's cockpit instruments were untouched and it still had it guns and ammunition before they were seized by the Egyptian military for safety reasons

$\"Second$

Second World War weaponry: The machine gun on the wing of the crashed plane. It appears the pilot got into trouble and brought it down in the middle of the desert

$\"Bullet$

$\"Scattered$

Bullet holes: The Kittyhawk appears to have been shot at (left), while its broken propeller lays nearby (right). Historians have described the find as the 'aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb'

$\"Well-preserved:$

Well-preserved: The Kittyhawk's magazine of bullets were also found in the wreckage. The radio and batteries were discovered out of the plane

$\"The$

Sign of the time: The Kittyhawk's factory stamp (left) and gun loading instruction panel (right). However, some locals see the aircraft as a piece of junk

$\"Signs$

Signs of survival: Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping's parachute was part of what is believed to be a makeshift camp alongside the fuselage

$\"Remote:$

Remote: The crash site is about 200 miles from the nearest town. No human remains have been found but it is thought the pilot's decomposed body may lay anywhere in a 20 mile radius of the plane

A military historian, noting that there would be no reason on earth to have found the plane in the middle of the desert, hailed the find as \" a quite incredible time capsule, the aviation equivalent of Tutankhamun's Tomb.\"

The Canadian website Vintage Wings of Canada said the plane was in \"incredible condition,\" but worried about looters to the site, which happens to be on a dangerous smuggling route between Sudan and Libya.

Vintage Wings also notes that the serial number appears to be ET574, a plane previously flown by Canadian pilot Stocky Edwards. The website adds, \"To say we, at Vintage Wings, are excited by this find in an understatement.\"

A search is planned to locate the missing pilot's body, but officials don't believe that any remains will be found. Eventually, the aircraft will be moved to London's Royal Air Force Museum.