Water Bomber Scratched From Saturday Air Show

The Martin Mars water bomber that has been wowing crowds all week at AirVenture has been scratched from the Saturday airshow after it was damaged during a precautionary landing Friday night.

The Oshkosh Northwestern reports that operations manager Mayco Noel said that the crew noticed an engine problem during the historic airplane's flight Friday night. The crew opted to land the airplane back on Lake Winnebago to check the engine.

The plane had already taken on a full load of 7,200 gallons of water then the problem cropped up, and after landing, the 80-ton airplane struck a submerged obstacle which punched a three-inch hole in its hull.

The airplane began to take on water. The Appleton Fire Department helped to pump the water out of the hold, and it was flown back to the EAA seaplane base. Divers inspected the damage on Saturday, and it was scratched from the show.

Mayco called the incident "a little disappointing," but said the crew would just have to bring the plane back next year "and redeem ourselves."

(Image from file)

FMI: www.martinmars.com