The Crash of the Lou IV Traditional Cache

This cache has been archived.

Mr.Charlie: I found the cracked and empty container nearby. I'll open this location for a new cache if anyone wants to hide one here. Thanks to all who visited.

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Hidden : 2/27/2007
Difficulty:
2 out of 5
Terrain:
2 out of 5

Size: Size: small (small)

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Geocache Description:


On December 29, 1994 a plane was approaching from the southeast. Planes fly over this park all the time, but this sounded different. It wasn’t the normal buzz of a typical propeller plane usually seen in the area. It had a certain peculiar sound to it. It was the deep-throated rumble of a Rolls Royce Merlin engine. Suddenly, the sound changed. It started to sputter, then stopped altogether. Something was wrong. The plane swooped down and bounced on the snowy grass. It skidded, coming to a rest against the trees. The propeller spun off. The right wing was sheared from the fuselage. The left wing was crumpled and gashed. The left stabilizer was severed. As the dust settled, the pilot crawled from the wreckage. He was not seriously hurt, but the silver and blue plane was a crumpled mess. Would it ever fly again?

The plane was a P51-D Mustang, the iconic fighter of the European Theater in WWII. It was built in 1944 with the serial number 44-63350 and delivered to the 15th Air Force operating out of Italy. After the war it served in the Kentucky National Guard before being sold to a private owner. At an air race in Texas in 1984 it was damaged in a ground collision with another P51-D. It survived to fly again and was rebuilt unusually, as a two-seater, and re-registered as N51TK. It was repainted as another, more famous Mustang, the Lou IV (44-13410).

The FAA investigated the crash that happened here, as they do with all incidents. They discovered that the pilot had been flying at about 2500’ on a clear day. He had flown down from Kenosha to Palwaukee Airport early that afternoon. Half an hour later he left Palwaukee, taking off at 1445. The crash occurred 11 minutes later at 1456 (2:56 pm). The pilot reported that “the engine stopped abruptly.” He was using fuel from the left tank and immediately switched the fuel selector to the right tank feed position. He placed the mixture in the emergency rich position and checked that the boost pump and magneto switches were on. He was too low. The engine did not regain power. He had run his left tank dry and did not have enough altitude to restart the engine. He had no choice but to crash land.

The pieces were picked up and hauled away. After months of extensive work, the plane was ready to fly again. Unfortunately, the Lou IV crashed again in July of 2007. The pilot was killed and the plane was destroyed.

Do not seek the cache at night. The park closes at sundown. You will need to be careful as the Frisbee golf course in the park is very busy at all times of the year.

The FAA report of the crash can be found here: (visit link)

The picture below of the Lou IV was used with permission. More photos can be found here: (visit link)

The NTSB report of the fatal crash in California can be found here: (visit link)

Additional Hints (Decrypt)

Raq bs gur qbjarq gerr.

Decryption Key

A|B|C|D|E|F|G|H|I|J|K|L|M
-------------------------
N|O|P|Q|R|S|T|U|V|W|X|Y|Z

(letter above equals below, and vice versa)


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