GC24KZ5 Colonel Mike McCoys B-47 crash site. #1 (Traditional Cache) in Florida, United States created by kleetus

This cache has been archived.

kleetus: I came over to do maintenance on my three Mike McCoy caches. I think this one is gone. I gave the shrub a pretty good going over. The other two are missing too. I wasn't prepared to do the whole series so I'm going to archive them all for the time being. It would be nice if someone wants to adopt them. You can use my descriptions. I think it is nice to have something to honor the men who died here.

GC24KZ5 ▼

A cache by kleetus Message this owner

Hidden : 3/5/2010

Difficulty:

Terrain:

Size: Size: micro (micro)

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Geocache Description:

On October 9, 1957 Colonel Mike McCoy , pilot, Lieutenant Colonel Charles Joyce, co-pilot, Major Vernon D. Stuff, navigator, and RAF Group Captain John Woodruffe were killed near here when their B-47 crashed. They were on a training flight from Pinecastle Air Force Base. After a flight over Lake County they headed south at about 500 Knots. The turned east over Pine Hills. Then as they began a turn over College Park something went wrong. They were only about 700 feet above the ground when the plane began to come apart. Col McCoy is credited with keeping the plane in the air long enough to keep it from crashing into houses.

The debris of the wreck started just north of here in the area of the white fences. Parts of the wing were on the race track there. About a year after the crash Pinecastle AFB changed it's name to McCoy AFB. That is now Orlando Intl Airport. You might notice that the airport abbreviation is MCO. All of the crew members flew combat missions in World War Two and were very experienced airmen.

About the caches: They are all the same. On the package it said they were guaranteed water proof. When I left home I forgot the logs I had printed up. I had to improvise so the logs are not the best. I hope to get back before too long to put good logs inside. The spots they are hidden are nothing spectacular they are here just to point out where the event happened.