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N720 beside the Lake Hood strip, ready for winter.
Photos: Ben Cogger © 24 October 2022
N720 at Lake Hood.
Photo: Ben Cogger © 20 January 2022
N720 trapped at Merrill Field!
Photo: Ben Cogger © 05 June 2018
Chasing Beaver N720
Photos: Ben Cogger © 21 May 2018
N720 motors along.
Photo: Rich Hulina © June 2014
N720 at Bethel on the Kuskokwim River.
Photo: Martin Prince Jr © 02 June 2010
N720 about to leave Victoria for Alaska.
Photos: Mike Pink © 23 July 2009
N720 making steady progress at Victoria.
Photo: Bill Jesse © February 2009
N5146G at Bethel for Wildlife work.
Photos: Martin Prince Jr © 18 August 2007
N5146G awaiting new R.985 at Anchorage.
Photo: Neil Aird © 06 September 2004
Photo: Neil Aird © 07 September 1995
Photo: Unknown photographer © - Courtesy of CAP Alaska
N5146G at Merrill Field with original porthole!
Photo: Kenneth I. Swartz © May 1987
51-16487 serving with the Oregon NG, ex USAF.
Photo: Ron Olsen © 22 March 1970
Photo: Ron Olsen © 27 December 1970
51-16487 at Seoul, sporting the 5th Air Force badge on wheel hubs and tail.
Photo: Unknown photographer © 1953-54 - Duplicate slide - Aird Archives

247

51-16487 • N5146G

N720

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51-16487 USAF #1064. L.20A No: 65. Command AF-1. Delivered 01-May-1952. Built as L-20A and re-designated U-6A in 1962, (Later conversion. to TU-6A).

51-16487 Served in South Korea c. 1953-54.

51-16487 Struck off charge on 11-Jun-1967.

51-16487 Reported as passed to the US Army. Jun-1967.

• Oregon National Guard. 1970.

N5146G Civil Air Patrol Inc., Maxwell AFB., Montgomery, AL. Regd 17-May-1971. Anchorage Based. Canx 24-Aug-2007.

Total time: at Sep-1995 10,781 hours.

Accident: 7 Mile Lake, AK. 23-Jul-2006. The first pilot was conducting a local area Title 14 CFR Part 91 proficiency/instructional flight in a float-equipped airplane with the second pilot. Both pilots were certificated flight instructors. After landing at a lake, the second pilot practiced making step turns. The first pilot, seated in the right seat, then took the flight controls to demonstrate continuous water taxiing/turning while on-step. He said he taxied around the perimeter of the lake and began a right turn, still on-step, but the airplane did not respond. Application of right rudder did not prevent the airplane from colliding with the lake shore and trees. The airplane received damage to the left wing and fuselage. The first pilot indicated that the wind was about 6 knots from the north-northeast, but he thought the airplane encountered a wind shear at the narrowest portion of the lake where the accident occurred. Two crew uninjured NSB report ANC06LA095.

Service Difficulty Report: 17-Apr-1979. At Maintenance inspection found cracks below attachment points on right elevator.

Service Difficulty Report: 25-Jun-1982. At Maintenance inspection. Found cracks on attachment bolt hole of elevator.

Total time: at Jul 2006 – 11,816 hours.

N5146G US Department of the Interior, Anchorage, AK. Regd 19-Nov-2007. Canx 12-Jun-2008 on re registration.

Noted at Viking, Victoria, BC Feb-2009. Repaired and completed at Viking. 29-Jul-2009.

Airworthiness Cert: 17-Aug-2009.

N720 US Department of the Interior, Boise, ID. Based Anchorage, AK. Re-regd 12-Jun-2008.

Noted at Viking Victoria, BC. Feb-2009. Repaired and completed at Viking. 29-Jul-2009.

Airworthiness Cert: 17-Aug-2009.

Current

USAF History

51-16487 was made available on 18-Apr-1952 and accepted by the by AMO Unit (Air Material Overseas Unit), at Downsview, Ontario, on 24-Apr-1952. It was delivered to the Air Materiel Command at Norton AFB, San Bernardino, California on 01-May-1952 where it was assigned to the Far East Air Force and prepared for shipment to Kisarazu, Japan and the 6400th Air Depot.

It arrived on 03-Jun-1952 and remained in storage until 24-Jun-1952 when it moved to the 6408th Maintenance Unit, still at Kisarazu, where it was prepared for shipment to South Korea. Here it was attached to the 10th Liaison Squadron and was based initially at Yong Dong Po from 17-Aug-1952 until 01-Feb-1954 when it transferred to Osan for a week before moving to the 6400th Air Depot which was now at Showa in Japan for line maintenance. It remained here until 24-May-1954 and then returned to the 10th Liaison Squadron until 10-Nov-1954. It then moved to the host squadron at Osan, 6151st Air Base Group until 14-dec-1954 when a move to the 58th Fighter Bomber Wing occurred.

Emblem of the 58th FBW

This lasted until 08-May-1957, with a brief return to Showa, Japan occurring between Nov-1956 and Feb-1957. The 58th FB Wing was de activated with a change in defence strategy towards missile Defence and the aircraft moved to the 6314th Air Base Group, the host Unit at Osan. It remained with the wing until 1964 with a few deployments to Kunsan, Seoul, Taegu and Kimpo including the renaming of the wing as 6314th Support Wing in 1961. There is a note of it going to the Logistics Command Fairchild Aircraft Service Facility in early 1964 but returning to Taegu with the 6314th Support Wing from 26-Mar-1964 and then to Osan with the AMAMA (currently unknown acronym) from 16-May-1964. It is recorded as passing to the US Army on 11-Jun-1967.

There is a note of it going to the Logistics Command Fairchild Aircraft Service Facility in May 1964 when our current history ends.

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