Recovery and Restoration of P-38-10-LO, 42-13400

Recovery and Restoration of P-38-10-LO, 42-13400. . , On 1 January 1945, Lieutenant Robert L. Nesmith, 54th Fighter Squadron, inadvertently flew his P-38G Lightning, serial number 42-13400, into the ground during a training mission in Temnac Valley, Attu. Although shaken, he emerged unhurt. Shortly afterwards, a salvage team removed all usable parts and left the remains of his Lightning to the elements. The Alaska Aircraft Historical Society placed the Lightning on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979. An Air Force maintenance team from the Elmendorf AFB visited the site in 1991 and determined that it could be restored. It was then that a Project Lightning Save group was formed. After several unsuccessful attempts, the group achieved official approval to recover the P-38 when General McCloud learned of the project and responded "go get it." A joint Air Force, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service and State Historic Preservation Officer effort resulted in the necessary approval documents. A volunteer recovery and documentation team from the 3rd Wing and the State Office of History and Archeology, supported by helicopters and HC-1903 from the 210th Air Rescue Squadron, and the Coast Guard LORAN Station at Attu, recovered the P-38 in early June 1999. Alaska Air National Guard and 3rd Wing C-130 crews transported the Lightning to Elmendorf AFB where volunteers restored it. The McCloud Memorial Foundation provided restoration funding.