The Last Flight Of Tanker 123

[bigdaus11]

@sonorachainsgang modified b-24?

[JimHadar1]

@bigdaus11 -- Yes, the "navalized" version of the B-24, the PB4Y2 Privateer. Used as a sub hunter/ patrol bomber by the US Navy in WW 2 & Korea. It was stretched in length a bit, some rearranging of gun turrets, but at it's heart basically it was a Liberator, or at least it's sibling.

[Piddlepack]

How many did they have in service? I recall seeing one over my house when I lived in SD back around 99. Thought it was a B-24 until the tail I saw the tail.

[Quaigy1]

Thank you for posting this video. My Dad worked on PB4Y-2s in the Navy during World War II. It is fun to watch video of these birds flying. I still have my Dad's maintenance manuals for the aircraft.

[SenorSpode]

Never seen a B-24 airframe with a conventional tail, had too look it up: Consolidated P4Y2. Interesting!

[blancolirio]

WOW A real airtanker song-very rare! and in the spirit of Oscar Brand aviation balladeer. Great Job Black Irish band! I remember working with 123 in Battle Mt. Nev. around 1997/8?, sunlight glistening off those old wings as she popped, snorted and dripped along over the sage. Unforgettable.

Juan Browne

"Ragged But Right"

[cabovertrucker]

if you talk about one of the beauties with wings,i understand she,s fallen from the sky,rip 123,and her crew!RESPECT!!!

[Arabhacks]

Metal fatigue was the cause.

The left wing flexed and broke on a rivet line like a zipper.

A lot of these older aircraft are becoming unsafe to fly.

[capt777737]

And RIP 123 and her brave crew

[capt777737]

Amen to Hawkins and Powers

[smokey1255]

This song brings me memories and sadness. I have some pictures of 123 from when I worked at NIFC in 1974 & 1975. These old beauties saved my bacon many times when I was a shot. I guess time finally caught up with their structure. I always (now there's a name for a movie) respected the air crews and got to know many of them. RIP.

[fs10inator]

Goodbye, Hawkins & Powers, your spirits be free!

[ericsantiago011]

please tell me what is the cause of its crash??

[fs10inator]

@ericsantiago011 The left wing broke apart. It was caused by structural failure, similar to the infamous C-130 airtanker crash a month earlier, and Chalk's Ocean Airlines flight 101 in late 2005.

[FVMACHINES]

Very nice! Thanks for the video!

[MrSBChevy]

sorta looks like a B-24 liberator

[kirktalon]

@MrSBChevy It is! Toward the end of WW2, a variant to the Liberator with only one rudder was made for the Navy. It was designated P4Y-2 Privateer.

[Auggie56]

@MrSBChevy Because it is, only made to Navy specs.

[stollak1]

Thank you, Patrick -- a touching song, and a nice tribute.

[trainfire28]

@stollak1 I was just there, at my dinner table, in the evening, and the words and music came to me from beyond. Of all the songs I've written, "Last Flight of 123" came to me in just short moments. Almost like it was just waiting for me. The instrumentation also was felt from the start. Like the old flyers of WW-1, waiting for the return of their friends. And then they would play a song in their honor, an old song, maybe on a button box, like mine... Songwriter- Patrick Michael Karnahan

[grooveclubhouse]

looks like a liberator but its not. strange.

[rescuealpha]

@grooveclubhouse it is a liberator but the us navy version pb4y privateer

[grooveclubhouse]

@rescuealpha did it have different engines too? the nacelles look different.

[rescuealpha]

@grooveclubhouse the were using the same enginge PW-1830 but because it was a navy patrol plane, operating on lower altitude, the removed the turbos from the engines. The were mounted at the side of the engines with the liberator bombers giving them their unique apearance

[vladi1273]

it's a splushe plane

[vonBeavis]

Good vid, touching. I salute my brother firefighters and the bard who wrote this tribute.

[landroversrs1]

Very fitting tribute, RIP 123.

[Walt554]

Too bad they blocked out the engines with the misic

[mynameisvallu]

someone rly tell me, its a plane, and peeps sending flowers... why`?

[obliviousfafnir01]

@mynameisvallu I think the flowers were for the pilots, not the plane itself. The song isn't about the plane, but the plane and crew, who, as the vid suggests, probably crashed and died fighting a wildfire.

[VikingBladeWorks]

Excellent,......

[WestFlagDad]

Long live the noise of 4 round motors.

[fueger]

They had the fire bombers out today at Jeffco airport in Broomfield, CO.

[omotherfuckenr]

i remember seeing this live! may they rest in peace!

[McCabe007]

it looks like a b 24 with a conventional tail instead of a fork tail

[WestFlagDad]

@McCabe007

It is, it's the navy version. A PBY4

[princess83712]

BY GOD!

[yblocker]

wow possibly my first memories were Tankers 121 , 123 124 lined up i might have been 2 or 3 but me and my father seen them lined up on an airfield in utah . very special seeing these! thanks for posting the video and god bless

[tassoss1]

-Salute- Airtanker 123 and his crew and all firefightrs araound the world you gave there Life...

from Greece

[Flyboy207]

Songs like these always make me cry. Thanks for the service, 123 and crew. You're in my thoughts.

[raynus1]

I saw a Privateer very similar to this flying rather low over central Alberta in the mid-late 90's.

Quite a sight.

Sad.

[sfpanther7]

Has it been that long ago? I was there helping out friends in Big Elk Meadows and watched it crash. And 2 days later we lost a helicopter and pilot at the same fire. After the fire there was a small gathering of firefighters and residents and friends. A lone bagpipe player played on a hill. It was surreal. Can't believe we lost those brave men.

Scott Fisher

Longmont, Colorado

[balongaboy]

wow cant belive thet thing was in service that long

[steelar]

Thanx Patrick and Band. Capt. Rick woulda liked this... alot. Those guys are missed.

[trainfire28]

Tanker 123 will always live on in our memories, true heroes always!!.

Patrick- Black Irish Band / songwriter

[bfmcarparts]

Less Irish, more Radial!

[Fritztoons]

even if it is across the atlantic for me, they are my heros!

[elroto]

I had the good fortune to have been stationed at Wainright AAF and Libby AAF both of which had aircraft from BLM. I saw this acft at Libby a few times.

[elsa6027]

This Video is such a nice tribute to the tragic loss of a crew involved in such a brave occupation.I have a pilots licence myself and I am from the UK and have always wanted to do this job myself,become a fire bombing pilot,please could you give me any information on how I would go about getting such a job.