Onderzoeken

Crashes and Missing Pilots

Stichting Wings to Victory investigates crashes and missing pilots at request of families or when discovered aircraft parts are brought to our attention. Have you found any aircraft parts? Please let us know, no matter how small!

• We investigate using the found parts to determine which aircraft type it is and if there are still missing crew members. We try to locate these missing crew members.

How We Work

Wings to Victory conducts only investigative work. The found parts are analyzed to determine the type of aircraft and the serial number. This information is then passed on to the Royal Netherlands Air Force rescue service. They may then proceed with the rescue. Rescues often happen at the request of family members, when it is suspected that there are still missing crew members, or when the wreck poses a danger to the environment, buildings, or shipping.

Resources Used

• On land, metal detectors and probes are used to find different metals and to feel for deeper parts underground.
• In shallow water, strong magnets are used to check for magnetic parts.
• In deeper water, we rely on organizations that use sonar.
• On water, enthusiastic and competent divers help find wrecks and missing and possibly still alive pilots. There are still tens of crew members missing around Zeeland.

Identifying a "Crash"

A plane "crashing" on land causes disturbances in the ground structure. These disturbances can often be seen in the color or size of the vegetation, which differs from the surroundings. Local disturbances like areas that are deeper than the surrounding area could indicate a "crash," caused by spilled fuel and/or oil that was released during the crash.

Missing Pilots in Zeeland

The organization considers it a noble task to contribute to the investigation. Much information about crashed aircraft can be found in the online database. After World War II, many rescues were carried out by the Royal Dutch Air Force. The Dutch Federation for Aviation Archaeology (NFLA) has an overview of salvaged aircraft in the Netherlands. Here are some photos of places where a B-17 was crashed. It is clear that there are still color differences in the vegetation. Marking Aircraft Parts

• Found aircraft parts, no matter how small, are usually traceable back to an aircraft manufacturer and part of the aircraft.
• Differences exist between manufacturers in terms of color, both inside and outside, rivets, materials, part numbers, "hardware," construction methods, and so on.
• Miscellaneous items such as ammunition, tires (with variations in profile and size), weapons, type plates, personal equipment pieces, and so forth can also be useful in investigating an aircraft type.

Conserving Found Parts

• Parts are cleaned once they are above water due to salt corrosion. Smaller parts are cleaned in a sink filled with water. The water is regularly refreshed and the salt concentration is measured to determine when the objects have sufficiently dried. After drying, a special layer is applied, and the aircraft parts are conserved and prepared for display if necessary.

Ongoing Investigations

• B-17 Crash, February 4, 1944, North Sea
• B-25 Crash, June 13, 1943, Westerschelde
• Ju52 Crash, Oosterschelde?
• Unidentified Aircraft Found at Wolphaartsdijk
• Unidentified Wheel Found at Wolphaartsdijk