Fagen Fighters WWII Museum Flies Restored SB2C-5 Helldiver for First Time Since 1945 | Aviation

A U.S. Navy Icon Takes to the Skies After a 17-Year Restoration.

On their Facebook page, The Fagen Fighters WWII Museum, located in Granite Falls, Minnesota, announced they’d completed a test flight of their 17-year restoration project on July 22, 2024.

The Curtiss-built SB2C-5 Helldiver aircraft, BuNo 83393, was originally built in early 1945 and was delivered to Naval Air Field Newport, Rhode Island. Very shortly after it was transferred to Naval Air Station Dahlgren, Virginia. During flight testing on July 24, 1945, the aircraft crashed, killing the pilot, LTJG Mark Gilbert. The backseater, RM3 Edward Pierce, was miraculously spared when he was thrown from the aircraft and suffered only a broken leg. No official cause of the crash has ever been released, but a prevailing theory is that the torpedo the airplane was carrying for testing came loose in the bomb bay and brought it down just inside the perimeter of NAS Dahlgren. The story is partly outlined on Fagen Fighters’ Restoration website.

LTJG Mark Gilbert had, before the accident, proven himself in combat against Japan, earning a Distinguished Flying Cross (DFC) and three Air Medals.

The Fagen SB2C-5 under restoration in Minnesota. (Image credit: Fagen Fighters WWII Museum)

The wreckage of the…

Source theaviationist.com

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