Unexploded Ordnance UXO. Submit Info. How You Can Help. Pilot 1st Lt. Delivered to the U. Disassembled and shipped overseas to Australia and reassembled. No known nose art or nickname. When lost, engine R serial number Armed with eight. Harold Jacoby on a mission to escort B Mitchells over Wewak.
The weather was heavy cloud cover and overcast at 10,' enroute with heavy storms over the target area. At am the formation arrived over Wewak at 20,' and engaged in air combat with Japanese fighters. Burgess and PD Thunderbolt pilot 1st Lt. Wynans E. Frankfort flying back to base. Together, the trio flew on a course towards Bena Bena but due to heavy clouds became lost and found themselves over the Fly River.
Out of fuel, Jacoby bailed out in the vicinity of Madiri plantation a swampy area south of Tidal Island. Burgess rescued and PD Thunderbolt pilot 1st Lt. Frankfort rescued. Search Afterwards, several search missions by flying boats were conducted under the direction of Lt.
David A. After several aerial searches and a patrol by Australia New Guinea Administrative Unit ANGU , it was concluded that the swamp and terrain made survival impossible without native help and that Jacoby was likely dead and impossible to find. Lange took off from Port Moresby to rescue pilot Lt. Burgess at Kikori. On the return flight, searched the Bulldog area. On October 28, the same plane searched from Yule Island to Kubuna area and Goaribari Island north to Kikori and east to Port Romily for 8 hours dropping leaflets to villagers to notify them of a downed airmen, but had nil sightings.
Frankfort who reported seeing Jacoby bail out and he buzzed the area then flew down the Fly River before he bailed out himself and reportedly Jacoby's crashed plane was visible with his parachute hanging in tall grass yards away. Afterwards, the flying boat searched for seven hours with nil results then landed back at the launch that was sent further up river to continue searching.
