B-25J-15-NC 44-28898
History
B-25J-15-NC 44-28898 was delivered on August 15, 1944. On August 9, 1944, North American test pilot Wink Cantrell flew her for 185 minutes on her first test flight. She was allocated to the Russian lend-lease program and started her journey to the United Airlines modification center in Cheyenne, Wyoming. After a short stop, she continued to Great Falls, Wisconsin. She finally arrived in Fairbanks, Alaska on August 24, 1944. As part of the lend-lease program, Russian crews would take possession of the B-25 in Fairbanks and fly them to a Russian base in Nome, Alaska for preparations for their flight to Russia. On September 2, 1944, Russian crews took off from Fairbanks, Alaska with their new B-25. There was some sort of incident upon landing in Nome, and the B-25 crashed. With no nearby repair facilities, she was stripped of useful parts and abandoned. The following summary of assignments are listed on her record card:
Base Assignments
| Date | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 08/15/1944 | Cheyenne, WY | ATC |
| 08/17/1944 | Great Falls, MT | ATC |
| 08/24/1944 | Fairbanks, AK | ATC |
| 09/02/1944 | Fairbanks, AK | Departed USA |
She remained there until the Nome Aviation and Military Museum recovered the wreck and transferred her to the Warbirds of Glory Museum in 2014. Needed airworthy parts from her are being used in the restoration of B-25J-25-NC 44-30733 "Sandbar Mitchell". The current plan is to utilize the rest of the airframe as part of a static display.
- Model: B-25J-15-NC
- Serial Number: 44-28898
- NAA Mfg. Number: 108-32173
- FAA Registration: None
- Mfg. Plant: Fairfax - Kansas City, Kansas
- Completion Date: August 11, 1944
- Delivery Date: August 15, 1944
- Status: Restoration to static
- Owner: Warbirds of Glory Museum
- Location: Brighton, MI
- Website: https://warbirdsofglory.org/
Photos
This page represents the most current information we have on this aircraft. The information above was last updated 09/2020 with information provided by Bob Haney. Our goal is to have the most current and correct information possible. If you have any information about this aircraft not listed here or see anything posted in error, please contact the B-25 History Project so we may update our records.