Recovery and Restoration of P-38-10-LO, 42-13400

On 1 January 1945, Lieutenant Robert L. Nesmith of the 54th Fighter Squadron inadvertently flew his P-38G Lightning, serial number 42-13400, into the ground during a training mission in Temnac Valley on Attu, but although shaken he was unhurt. Shortly afterward, a salvage team removed all usable parts and left the remains to the elements. The Alaska Aircraft Historical Society placed the Lightning on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. In 1991, an Air Force maintenance team from Elmendorf AFB visited the site, determined that the aircraft could be restored, and helped spur the formation of Project Lightning Save. After several unsuccessful attempts, official approval to recover the P-38 was achieved when General McCloud learned of the project and responded, "go get it." A joint effort by the Air Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, and State Historic Preservation Officer produced the necessary approval documents. In early June 1999, a volunteer recovery and documentation team from the 3rd Wing and the State Office of History and Archeology, supported by helicopters, HC-1903 from the 210th Air Rescue Squadron, and the Coast Guard LORAN Station at Attu, recovered the P-38. Alaska Air National Guard and 3rd Wing C-130 crews transported the Lightning to Elmendorf AFB, where volunteers restored it with funding from the McCloud Memorial Foundation.

Anchorage, Alaska · United States