MMF030522 Ruffled Tail Feathers
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The rest of the story.... When I visited the Museum in 2003 everyone was eager to get their recently acquired DC3 in airworthy condition. (Not N49466 but a sister ship that was also owned by Johnson Flying Service along with N49466.)
The director pulled me aside and said, "I have someone you might like to meet." Working on the DC3 was none other than Kenny Roth himself, pilot of N49466!
Kenny explained that the large spray tanks in the fuselage were secured atop cradles. This gave the aircraft a high center-of-gravity. When they hit turbulence, not only did the DC3 sink, it also rolled! So add a twisted empennage to the damage list.
I don't know if aviation history research gets any better than this!
