He And A Passenger Were Forced To Bail Out Of The TBM Avenger In May Of Last Year

The pilot and owner of a 1945 Grumman TBM Avenger is asking for help locating the airplane he was forced to abandon during a flight last year, and he's willing to pay $20,000 to anyone who finds the airplane.

That's not as easy as it sounds. Here is the Facebook post from Ron Carlson, who is looking for his airplane:

"Hey everybody, especially my Pilot buddies out there in the west. I just want to refresh my offer of $20,000 cash to find my still missing 1945 Grumman TBM Avenger.

"Many of you are probably familiar with the story, but for those who are not, it crashed a year and a half ago after a catastrophic engine failure and fire, in early May of 2018.

"My crew mate and I obviously are here today as we successfully bailed out. I will follow this post with some updated images of where I believe it is located. These images are much simplified in order to make it easier for anyone that might be searching.

"I know some of you have searched hard with no luck, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart."

That still doesn't sound too challenging, but here's the catch. Carlson was flying over the Fort Apache Indian Reservation near Whiteriver, AZ when the accident occurred. The White Mountain Independent reports that the area is only accessible by tribal-issued permits, and entering the area is considered trespassing by the tribal government, which is punishable by fines and seizure of property.

So be sure that if you're going to go look for the airplane, you go through proper channels first.

And if you locate the wreckage, contact Carlson at ifoundtheairplane@gmail.com.

(Image from Ron Carlson's Facebook page)

FMI: Facebook (Includes link to the White Mountain Independent article and maps mentioned)