Mon, Apr 25, 2011
Crewman Flew Aboard A C-87 In China
The Department of Defense POW/Missing Personnel Office (DPMO)
announced Friday that the remains of a serviceman, missing in
action from World War II, have been identified and are being
returned to his family for burial with full military honors.
C-87 Library of Congress Image
U.S. Army Air Forces Pfc. Mervyn E. Sims, 23, of Petaluma, CA,
will be buried Friday in his hometown. On April 24, 1943, Sims and
four crew members aboard a C-87 Liberator Express departed from
Yangkai, China, in support of “the Hump” resupply
mission between India and China.Prior to takeoff, a ground crew
determined the aircraft had sufficient fuel for the six-hour flight
to the air base on other side of the Himalayas in Chabua,
India.Once cleared for takeoff, there was no further communication
between the aircrew and airfield operators.Army officials launched
a search effort when the plane did not arrive at the destination.No
evidence of the aircraft was found and the five men were presumed
killed in action.
In 2003, an American citizen in Burma reported to U.S. officials
at the Joint POW/MIA Accounting Command (JPAC) that he had found
aircraft wreckage he believed to be an American C-87 in the
mountains 112 miles east of Chabua.He was detained by Burmese
officials when he attempted to leave the country with human remains
and artifacts from the site.The remains and materials were handed
over to officials at the U.S. Embassy in Rangoon. Attempts to
excavate the site are being negotiated with the Indian
government.
Meanwhile, JPAC scientists continued the forensic process,
analyzing the remains and physical evidence already in hand.
Among other forensic identification tools and circumstantial
evidence, the Armed Forces DNA Identification Laboratory used
mitochondrial DNA, which matched that of Sims’ sister, in the
identification of his remains.
More News
Airbus Racer Demonstrator Makes Inaugural Flight Airbus Helicopters' ambitious Racer demonstrator has achieved its inaugural flight as part of the Clean Sky 2 initiative, a corners>[...]
A little Bit Quieter, Said Testers, But in the End it's Still a DA40 Diamond Aircraft recently completed a little pilot project with Lufthansa Aviation Training, putting a pair of >[...]
Line Up And Wait (LUAW) Used by ATC to inform a pilot to taxi onto the departure runway to line up and wait. It is not authorization for takeoff. It is used when takeoff clearance >[...]
Contributing To The Accident Was The Pilot’s Use Of Methamphetamine... Analysis: The pilot departed on a local flight to perform low-altitude maneuvers in a nearby desert val>[...]
From 2015 (YouTube Version): Overcoming Obstacles To Achieve Their Dreams… At EAA AirVenture 2015, FedEx arrived with one of their Airbus freight-hauling aircraft and placed>[...]