Anyone with good knowledge of Angola...

[T J Johansen]

I am searching for a place said to be some 30 miles south of Luanda possibly named Lagoa do Simoes. There is supposedly an airstrip there, with the mortal remains of several ex- Portuguese AF wrecks from yesteryear. Said to have been used for martar practise. Can't find anything when I googled it, nor does Google Earth know the place. Can anyone here tell me anything about it?

Also Google Earth does show a couple of wrecks at Saurimo in Eastern Angola although their image hails from 2005. Both wrecks are next to the taxiway leading to the runway. I think they are an A-26 and a Harvard but would like some confirmation.

T J

[f2000]

In 1993 whilst flying a B300 for the UN based in Luanda a bunch of us drove down to the Kwanza river. On the way we saw the wrecks you talk of.They were down on a flat plain towards the coast. We drove down through the bush to the wrecks ,A26 invaders and T6 Harvards, remenants of the Portugese Airforce(1950/1960?) They are all very corroded and damaged. The area is prohibited and an air firing range. At the time we did not know but it was stupid of us to go down there, who knows what unexploded stuff is there. Hope this helps

[TWOTBAGS]

Saurimo wreck

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z96/redlum5x5/124-2497_IMG.jpg

Taken about 6 years ago.
As to an answer about south of LAD.... the only thing there is Cabo Ledo which was being tided up last I saw. But no wrecks.

There is also this at the fort in Luanda...

http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z96/redlum5x5/snj6.jpg

[Cardinal Puff]

Wrecked Sukhoi next to the runway in Luau (Pereira d'Eca). In a minefield as I found out when strolling out to take pics and had the local population hopping up and down and squeaking mightily along the side of the runway. Stupid mzungu collected an earful for that.:}

[The Jester]

When you take the highway out from Luanda to Barra do Kwanza , about halfway to the Kwanza you will get Palmerinhas on RH side , where Luanda's GF is situated .

There is pieces of old aircraft wrecks as well as tank wrecks . It is now called Praia da Onza .

[T J Johansen]

In 1993 whilst flying a B300 for the UN based in Luanda a bunch of us drove down to the Kwanza river. On the way we saw the wrecks you talk of.They were down on a flat plain towards the coast. We drove down through the bush to the wrecks ,A26 invaders and T6 Harvards, remenants of the Portugese Airforce(1950/1960?) They are all very corroded and damaged. The area is prohibited and an air firing range. At the time we did not know but it was stupid of us to go down there, who knows what unexploded stuff is there. Hope this helps
Thanks for the info. Been trying to search Google Earth but without luck so far. Do you remember if you travelled near the coast, or was it inland? I find a paved coastal road going down towards Kwanza river (Cuanza river) and several smaller roads inland going south towards the river.
Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?t=h&hl=no&ie=UTF8&ll=-9.110233,13.097076&spn=0.649506,1.220856&z=10)

TWOTBAGS
Thanks for the photo of the PV-2 Harpoon. I take it that the T-6 was not sitting behind it as it does in this 2005 Google Earth image?
Saurimo Airport, Saurimo, Lunda Sul, Angola - Google Maps (http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=no&geocode=&q=Saurimo+Airport,+Saurimo,+Lunda+Sul,+Angola&sll=-9.110233,13.097076&sspn=0.649506,1.220856&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Saurimo+Airport,+Saurimo,+Lunda+Sul,+Angola&ll=-9.689905,20.43118&spn=0.001266,0.002384&t=h&z=19)

If anyone reads this and has sightings of other wreck/ derelicts in that part of the world please chime in with a report.

Best regards,

T J Johansen

[f2000]

The road we took was a tar road heading south to the Kwanza river it crossed theriver inland but not too far from the coast. There is a restaurant building on the north west bank of the bridge. It was the only tar road heading south. The wrecks were on a flat plain below the higher ground where the road ran.

[T J Johansen]

I just got in touch with a gentleman who shot some photos of the cache of aircraft in 1993. One is published in the July 96 issue of Flypast. He also confirmed the location, and a quick glance on Google Earth shows that they seem to be gone today. Too bad, but they were pretty much gone back in the 90s too. Thing is this, the FAP had five of them in Angola, six actually, but one got spirited away to Cuba by "advisors" after independance. We know four were at the beech site, which leaves one. Could it be lurking out there in the bush somewhere? Thanks anyway to everyone who has posted here. If you know of any other derelicts in Angola, or Congo for that matter, don't be shy...

T J

[big buddah]

It's not the wreck that's sitting by the taxi way at Saurimo?
From memory that looked like a Harvard or is it a Beech 18? Can't remember and I can't seem to find it in my photo's?

9°41'25.69"S 20°25'50.72"E

[big buddah]

This is sitting in the gardens, if you want to call it that? at Luena.


http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/chriswhood/Angola/100_4572-1.jpg

[Rico 25]

Interesting, could you elaborate on what type of aircraft this is, previous operators or any other such information??

[T J Johansen]

Rico 25: Both twins pictured in this thread are ex- Portuguese AF PV-2 Harpoons, used as light bombers and attack planes. In the photo supplied by TWOTBAGS you can see the gunpack underneath its nose. The single engine aircraft is a T-6, also known as a Harvard. I have earlier today seen another photo from the fort, shot from further away and there is one more T-6 in front and to the left of the Harvard. Was that gone when this photo was shot, TWOTBAGS?

big buddah: Is the Harpoon sitting on the airport at Luena? The only place I would guess it is located is under the trees at the end of the driveway into the airport? The Saurimo wreck is the PV-2 in TWOTBAGS photo. I just wonder where the T-6 that sat behind it has gone?

T J

[big buddah]

TJ,
There's another wreck at Saurimo I can't find my photo of it but you can clearly see it on Google earth. I'm pretty much 100% it's a T6 Harvard. It's located just south maybe 80 meters from the Harpoon. I can remember it with it's tail sticking into the sky! Not sure if it's still there? Haven't been to Saurimo for around 3 yrs?

The Luena Harpoon is actually sitting in town. I've got 7-8 photo's of it. I can't find it on Google earth where I think it's sitting, as the trees look rather thick. If you want the rough co-ordinates I can have a guess.

BB

[big buddah]

My apologies. This is one of the wrecks at Saurimo.
Maybe there is no T6 there?
Taken 2007 if it is the same Harpoon it's been badly damaged since?

http://i880.photobucket.com/albums/ac1/chriswhood/Angola/IMG_0007_3.jpg

[Doodlebug]

Cardinal Puff

I did the exact same stupid thing in Cazombo in '97 or '98, looking at the pranged Sukhoi there, got the same reaction, too.

Other wrecks: 2 Mig 21's in a hangar in Uige (I think it's Uige, 35 Kingair-minutes NE of Luanda?), beware, apparently the ejection-seats are still hot! ; Be20 riddled with bullet holes north of the strip at N'zeto ; B727 tail-section off the northern threshhold of M'banza Kongo (spelling? that strip that bisects the village on the table-top hill in the north, anyway) ; That AN12 minus its nosegear that alternated between resting on it's nose and it's tail at Huambo depending on the wind; the C130 tail next to the strip in Malange ; bits of broken TAAG Boeings virtually everywhere ; some very interesting and definately salvageable kit stashed in some hangars in Luanda, the mind boggles at the bribery and bullsh1t you'd have to endure, in fact, forget it... loads of other bits and pieces everywhere, pity I can't remember half of them.

On the matter of old wrecks - the French have chopped up the lovely old Caravelle that was on a plinth in the corner of LFMN, just the other day, apparently! Perpetrator should be guillotined.

[T J Johansen]

My apologies. This is one of the wrecks at Saurimo.
Maybe there is no T6 there?
Taken 2007 if it is the same Harpoon it's been badly damaged since?

That is a Beech C-45. Guess my intelligence skills are pretty poor as it has to be the one behind the Harpoon in the Google Earth image.:hmm:

If you have some rough estimates for the Luena Harpoon, please let us know. It is always nice to roam Google Earth in search of rare aircraft.

T J