Ohio museum plane held fuel for 4 decades: Planes checked after fuel found in vintage craft

By Barrie Barber 

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE — 

Officials at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force know a lot about the vintage planes they have on display, particularly those that have been there awhile.

But until last week, they did not know that the A-1E Skyraider, on floor display since April 1968, held 200 gallons of fuel.

Museum procedures require all aircraft to be defueled prior to exhibition at the museum. Apparently, that never happened when the Skyraider arrived some 44 years ago.

Because of the discovery, officials at the museum that draws some 1.2 million visitors a year are having the fuel tanks checked for the entire collection of planes on display.

Restoration crews reviewing old records discovered there was still fuel in the Skyraider, according to the museum. A crew purged the fuel Saturday and Sunday, forcing the weekend closure of the Korean War, Southeast Asia, Cold War and Missile and Space Galleries. The galleries reopened Monday.

“The inspections will be completed as soon as possible and at that time all museum aircraft on display will have been checked,” Air Force museum spokesman Rob Bardua said in response to questions from the Dayton Daily News. “Aircraft on display are continuously monitored by museum staff and volunteers for irregularities on a daily basis.”

The A-1E was a propeller-powered attack plane that used in both the Korean War and the Vietnam War. Wright-Patterson’s former 4950th Test Wing had incorrectly certified that the Skyraider was purged of fuel, the museum said.

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