I have recently begun watching – don’t ask me why – a YouTube channel that chronicles plane mishaps. I suppose it has to do with the fact that the account is really well done, with incredibly accurate portrayals of what went wrong. Fortunately, there’s also some good news in there regarding how pilots have heroically rescued planes with major issues in the sky. When I look at this hulk of an airplane, I can’t help but wonder what happened to it that it ended up here, looking like a prop for an elaborate Halloween display or as a roadside attraction outside of an antiques mall. The seller claims to have bought it for use as a treehouse, but he has clearly moved onto other hobbies. Find the forlorn plane here on Facebook Marketplace for $3,000 in Washington State.
Speaking of YouTube, there are a few different channels now that are devoted to rescuing forgotten airplanes. If you’ve never visited a small local airport – the ones that almost exclusively service private jets and recreational pilots – you should. It’s amazing how many vintage planes are left behind either due to repair bills that spiral out of control or because of a death in the family that leaves heirs scratching their heads as to how on Earth they’ll manage a plane project. At least if you leave a Camaro in the garage, there’s a good chance the grandkids will figure it out; not nearly as easy to learn how to use the old Beechcraft when grandfather passes away.
I’m glossing over an obvious point which is that we don’t know what kind of airplane this is. Well, I don’t, and despite my recent fascination with aviation, I’ve not yet learned how to identify these relics by sight alone. Let us know in the comments what model this is, and whether it was once a desirable specimen for use in private aviation. The other aspect of the plane hobby that has been put front and center in some of these new YouTube series is just how ungodly expensive these things are to maintain once they enter into project territory. Plus, equipment goes out of date and the entire airframe can become suspect the longer it stays out of service. I’d love to learn how to fly but I have little desire to maintain a plane based on what I’ve seen. Is there any equipment inside worth salvaging?
The pictures in the Facebook Marketplace listing do show it with the wings tossed nearby but obviously removed either for transportation purposes or for installing the plane in the seller’s preferred tree. The price tag doesn’t make much sense to me, and I have to believe you could buy this for far less than the asking price given the limited use it has at this point. Old airplanes make great props if you have a business or property that can support such a display, and one of my favorite private garages in Tennessee has an old helicopter dangling above it – could this abandoned airplane find new life as a memorable piece of shop decor? Let us know how you’d use it in the comments below.
Yeah, I fired off a letter to the Weather Channel saying that show, “Mayday, Air Disaster” should NOT be on TV. I said, how would you like to tune into the Weather Channel just before leaving on a flight, and see bodies strewn across some God forsaken cornfield with some emotionless bozo telling us what happened. The program director should be fired. Well, they never printed it, but someone read it. I know nothing if it’s junk or not, but that canned ham camper, an Avion, I think, is a better catch. I do agree on advertising prop. There is a restaurant in Florida, that has a plane that crashed into the roof of a building as a prop.
I with you on that one Howard, every word of it ! I for one appreciate your willingness to express those thoughts, especially in this day and time !!! HERE HERE SIR !
Mayday is a GREAT program they do a great job of breaking down a disaster and in the end should make you feel safer about aviation as each accident we learn from and makes aviation safer… should it be on the weather channel, prolly not but don’t diss a great show cause it makes you “scared to fly”.
To be clear, I’m not “afraid to fly”, I just don’t think a program depicting our worst fears is proper, and you can’t tell me, every single person that boards a plane doesn’t think about that, on a TV program that millions of people watch for vital WEATHER information, not airplane disasters. I’m reminded of the crazy Airplane movie, where the movie being shown is of a plane crashing. Flying has become so common place, there are over 10,000 flights in the air at any given time, so a show depicting a crash investigation is silly. Planes rarely crash today and we won’t have zero risk until the human part is eliminated completely. Per miles traveled, flying is still, by far, the safest means of travel.
Now, here’s a comforting fact, I read, after this last “computer glitch” that grounded all planes( 1st time since 911) was due in part, to the 30 year old software many airports are still using. That’s pre Y2K,,I don’t know, that’s a bit unsettling to me..
Howard A… You must have a fear of flying. Wrecked cars, planes, boats space shuttles, houses and emotions are all part of our high tech society and progress today. No disrepect here..
57 year pilot..
It’s a Piper Navajo PA-31. I have many flying hours one many years ago. Great piston powered cabin class plane. It been out of production since I think the late 70’s early 80’s but many are still flying world wide.
You are right. I too have flown them a lot and they are great airplanes.
Flew when parked.
“I heeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything”,,
Flew BEFORE parked.
$3000 really? Well I guess toss it against the wall see if it sticks personally I would take it apart and scrap it
Perhaps a better candidate for a submarine conversion, at this point?
I just love how some folks live in townships where you can have anything laying around your property and no one complains, I never had that luxury or I would probably have a bunch of old cars and other things laying around too.
Navajo’s were very nice airplanes. Might have has a wheels up landing or could have been flown until the engines and props timed out and parked. Those plus avionics and annual would send this to the salvage bin. Not worth a 10/th of asking in scrap but perhaps there are some useful parts for another AC repair.
This must be turquoises day. This plane, the Citabria and the boat. Coincidence?
People turn these carcasses into interesting cars. I’ve seen a couple on the road.
Navajo Chieftain. Looks like this one was very sparsely equipped…see all the blank gauge holes on the copilot’s side? That being said, I’d guess that White industries or Qwest Air or CAVU would give more than $3000 for it. I’ve been flying various Navajos since 1976, worked production test at the factory in Lakeland and Vero for a lot of years. There are good airplanes and there are a lot of ’em still flying. And the price of repair parts would scare a car guy to death! That engine cowling laying beside the plane could bring 3 grand by itself somebody needed it bad enough.
With the long nose section, I would say that it is a
Cheyenne ll
However, the cowling is for a PA 31 Navajo
From the pictures the nose does look long. But the windows are too big for a Cheyenne PA-31T or Pressurized Navajo PA-31P which are both pressurized. Might be a 1020, which was a piston engined, lengthened Navajo that was presented to FedEX along with 1040 which was turbine powered. Both were unpressurized. Piper was hoping to compete with the Cessna Caravan for the feeder network for FedEx. Caravan was a much better airplane. I was there when the presentation was made to Fred Smith, We knew we were beat when we walked in, but we had to do it.
If it were a Cheyenne II it’d have a different nose for a 10″ radar dish. Cheyenne I or XL maybe? If it were a Cheyenne II there’d be a hole on the starboard side of the nose for a SAS vane.
Put the tail number of any airplane in Google. Start with the letter “N.” You can find out previous flights and ownership. (Useful except when the plane is leased or by an obscure corporation that does not wnat you to know who owns it.
Once an airplane is stricken from the FAA records…either sold out of the country, scrapped or crashed…the number can be used again.
I’m more interested in the trailer in the background…
^ The aluminum one.
Howard A, just a memory that popped up.
Late 70s I had access to an old recycling yard found an old belly tank, smashed at one end. Cut it off and put on the roof of my house. I learned about HOAs in Phoenix. Thanks for poking that memory.
https://registry.faa.gov/AircraftInquiry/Search/NNumberResult?nNumberTxt=117DW
I’m Looking for a JUNK Set of Wings Perferabley for a Cessna
But will Take anything the Closer to Chicago the Better
It’s going on a Rolling Art project that’s going on Rt66 from Illinois to California
Any help would be Greatly Appreciated 🙏 🙂
You can email at
Rcantoys@aol.com
Thanks
Is that the SS Minnow in the background?
Great point regarding the cost of maintaining & owning a plane. Those who complain about the cost of vintage automobiles have not talked to anyone or been around private planes. Besides the initial cost of the plane, required maintenance, fuel costs are astronomical, insurance, storage /parking, airport fees, etc…. Happiest days of owning a plane, the day you buy it & the day you sell it!!!
been there and done that the av industry has rooted us small fish out when a spark plug goes for 40/50 bucks it time change hobbys
I think the panel on the left of the pilot’s seat contains the circuit breakers like I shop for at the EAA swap meet and use in rally and race cars.
N number comes back as a current reg. Cherokee, I believe. (??)
Something funny indeed!
On registryfaa.gov that tail number N117DW comes back to a single engine PA-28 Cherokee and not the twin engine PA-31 Navaho!
All the drugs are probably long gone. Still, if they were hidden well enough…..
https://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/photo/000246830.html
REGISTRATION NUMBERS OFTEN ARE RE-ASSIGNED WHEN AN AIRCRAFT IS DAMAGED TO THE STATUS OF A PARTS CAR OR EXPORTED. THE pa28 OWNER LIKELY HAS INITIALS DW
Looks to be a 1960’s vintage Piper PA31 probably good for parts? Obviously de-registered long ago.
Possibly a Panther conversion.
In regards to the cost of owning a plane; I Quit flying 5 years ago and cannot even give my Rans S4 custom built away.
Larry
Drive In, Fly Out
I can see a YouTuber turning this into a low budget flight simulator complete with projection screens.
httpN117DW
Piper PA-31-310 Navajo C/N 31-
N117DW @ K74S – at Anacortes,WA mid 1990s. Missing the left wing. – by Tom Vanceby Tom Vance @ K74S
Airframe Info
Manufacturer: Piper
Model: PA-31-310 Navajo Search all Piper PA-31-310
Year built: 0000
Construction Number (C/N): 31-451
Aircraft Type: Fixed wing multi engine
Number of Seats: 6
Number of Engines: 2
Engine Type: Reciprocating
Engine Manufacturer and Model: Lycoming TI0-540
Also Registered As:
N6487L De-registered
Aircraft
Registration Number: N117DW
Current Status: De-registered
Owner
Owner: Micronesian Atoll Airlines
Address: ,
United Statess://www.airport-data.com/images/aircraft/001/563/001563495.jpg
Interesting volumes of books: “Air Disasters”
Am I the only one noticing the ghostly face near the tail section of the aircraft?
On anther subject, I’m tired of hearing the old saw “Happiest day I bought…happiest day I sold” regarding boats and aircraft. I was never happy selling my boats or my planes. They brought enormous pleasure, good times, good memories. Wish I still had them. My collector cars as well, all of which are gone except for the 1930 Model A rumble-seat coupe I’ve owned since 1953.
The reason that I ask is back in 1964 I reupholstered and made a new rumble seat for a 1930 roadster for a fellow named Kenny. I owned a 1929 Briggs body for door steel back.
Kenn, Did you live in Tampa in the early ’60’s?
Larry
No Larry, I didn’t. Michigan until 1971, then New Port Richey ’til 1990. Now back in Michigan. Still skiing behind a 1974 Ski Tique I got 2 years ago. Fly a rented 172.