The Story of a TBM-3E: Bu.#85836

I was able to obtain some of the records of one of the TBMs and thus, trace it's history from it's delivery to the United States Navy in March 1945 to it's destruction in an accident in June 1984. Above is a transfer record showing service with a U.S. Navy torpedo squadron, VT-40. After service in reserve units, it was retired in the early 1950s and eventually sold to a civilian operator in Montana.

It remained with this company doing aerial fire suppression and applications until the 1970's when it was sold to an operation in New Brunswick, Canada.

Here is a photo of Bu.#85836 at Sevogle Airstrip in central New Brunswick.

This was the end of it all, on June 10th, 1984, for 85836. At least it expired as a hard working machine and didn't suffer the ignoble fate of being stripped and broken up for scrap to make pots and beer cans. Miraculously, the pilot survived and for years after would insist, at parties, on toasting "Rosie the Rivetter" for doing such a fine job of putting that one together.

[Click on the accident report to see the pilot's story.]

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