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B-17s: Where to find them

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This listing provides a compilation of surviving B-17s. Currently, there are forty-seven complete, recovered B-17 airframes in this wide-world. Of these, twelve are currently operational and flown at least occasionally. One normally airworthy airplane is in long term maintenance to update its wing spar. Another twenty-one are on static display and available for public viewing. Seven B-17s are under some form of restoration. Seven B-17s are in storage, two of which are with the National Air and Space Museum.

The partial remains of at least eight B-17s are also held. For the most part, these examples are in storage and may form the basis for future restorations.

Obviously, there are also numerous examples of B-17 wreckage scattered around the world, most of which exist as shards of aluminum and steel. However, they also may contain some usable parts and these will be added to this listing as information comes in.

This compilation is derived from material contained in Final Cut and updated primarily with information provided by Todd Hackbarth and others. For additional information about those B-17s which were carried on civil registries in the post-war world, jump to Civil B-17 Listing.

Summary
Operational12
Long Term Maintenance (back to operational)1
Static Display21
Under restoration to operational5
Under restoration to static2
In Storage7
Total Complete Airframes48
Partial Airframes6
Total Recovered Airframes54

Complete B-17 Airframes

Country State City Location Series Identification Sequence Status Remarks Photo
Brazil Recife Base Area de Recife B-17G 44-85583, FAB 5402 Static display Link
Brazil Rio de Janiero Museuo Aerospacial B-17G 44-83718, FAB 5408 Storage; disassembled
France Paris Orly Field B-17G 44-8846, F-BGSP, ZS-DXM, F-BGSP, F-AZDX Operational Mother and Country/Pink Lady Photo
France Paris Musee de l'Air B-17G 44-8889, F-BGSO Storage Photo Link
Papua New Guinea Lae Wharf B-17E 41-2446 Storage; recovered from swamp in May 2006 Swamp Ghost Link
UK Duxford American Air Museum B-17G 44-83735, N68269, F-BDRS Static display Mary Alice Photo
UK Duxford B-17 Preservation B-17G 44-85784, F-BGSR, N17TE, G-BEDF Operational Sally-B Photo
UK Hendon Bomber Command Museum B-17G 44-83868, PB-1W 77233, N6466D, N5237V Static display Photo
USA AZ Mesa CAF, Falcon Field B-17G 44-83514, N9323Z Operational Sentimental Journey
USA AZ Tucson 390th Museum, Pima Air Museum B-17G 44-85828, PB-1G 77254, N9323R Static display I'll Be Around Photo
USA CA Atwater Castle Air Museum B-17G 43-38635, N3702G Static display Virgin's Delight Photo
USA CA Chino Planes of Fame B-17G 44-83684, N3713G Static display Piccadilly Lilly II Photo
USA CA Los Angeles California Air Heritage Foundation B-17G 44-83387 Beginning restoration to operational Ex studio mockup Photo
USA CA Palm Springs Palm Springs Air Museum B-17G 44-85778, N3509G Operational Miss Angela Photo
USA CA Riverside March Field Museum B-17G 44-6393, CP-627, CP-891 Static display Return to Glory Photo
USA CA Santa Ana Martin Aviation B-17G 44-83563, N9563Z Operational Fuddy Duddy Photo
USA CA Tulare Along Highway 99 B-17G 44-85738 Static display Preston's Pride Photo
USA DC Washington National Air & Space Museum B-17G 44-83814, N66571, CF-HBP, N66571 Storage
USA DL Dover AMC Museum, Dover AFB B-17G 44-83624 Static display Sleepy Time Gal Photo
USA FL Polk City Fantasy of Flight B-17G 44-83525, N4520(ntu), N83525 Storage Photo
USA FL Polk City Fantasy of Flight B-17G 44-83542, N9324Z Static display Picadilly Princess Photo
USA FL Valparaiso Armament Museum, Eglin AFB B-17G 44-83863, PB-1W 77231, N6464D, N5233V Static display Photo
USA GA Douglas Liberty Foundation B-17G 44-85734, N5111N, N817BR, N390TH Operational Liberty Belle Photo
USA GA Douglas B-17G 44-83790 Under restoration to operational Recovered from Labrador, August 2004 Photo
USA IL Marengo B-17E 41-2595, XC-108 Under restoration to operational Desert Rat Photo
USA IN Peru Grissom AFB B-17G 44-83690 Static display Liberty Belle Photo
USA LA Bossier City Barksdale AFB B-17G 44-83884, PB-1W 77244, N6471D, N5230V Static display Yankee Doodle Dandy Photo
USA MA Stow Collings Foundation B-17G 44-83575, N93012 Operational Nine-O-Nine Photo
USA MD Suitland National Air & Space Museum B-17D 40-3097 Storage The Swoose Photo
USA MI Ypsilanti Yankee Air Force, Willow Run B-17G 44-85829, PB-1G 77255, N3193G Operational Yankee Lady Photo
USA NE Omaha Offutt AFB B-17F 42-3374 Static display Homesick Angel Photo
USA NE Lincoln SAC Museum B-17G 44-83559 Static display King Bee Photo
USA NY Geneseo 1941 Historical Aircraft Group B-17G 44-83546, N3703G Operational MARC; Memphis Belle Photo
USA OH Cincinnati Blue Ash Airport B-17E 41-9032 Under restoration to static My Gal Sal Link
USA OH Dayton USAF Museum B-17G 42-32076, SE-BAP, OY-DFA, DAF672, F-BGSH Static display Shoo Shoo Baby Photo
USA OH Dayton USAF Museum B-17F 41-24485 Under restoration to static Memphis Belle Photo
USA OH Urbana B-17 Project B-17G 44-85813, N6694C, N3154S Under restoration to operational New registration issued 2/26/07 Photo
USA OR Milwaukie Atop gas station B-17G 44-85790 Static display Lacey Lady Photo
USA OR McMinnville Evergreen Aviation Museum B-17G 44-83785 (44-85531), N809Z, N207EV Static display Photo
USA TX Abeline Dyess AFB B-17G 44-85599 Static display Reluctant Dragon Photo Photo
USA TX Fort Worth Vintage Flying Machines, Meacham Field B-17G 44-8543, N3701G (#2) Operational Chuckie Photo
USA TX Galveston Lone Star Flight Museum B-17G 44-85718, F-BEEC, ZS-EEC, G-FORT, N900RW Operational Thunderbird Photo
USA TX Houston CAF, Gulf Coast Wing B-17G 44-83872, PB-1W 77235, N7227C Long term mx Texas Raiders Photo
USA TX San Antonio Lackland AFB B-17G 44-83512 Static display Heaven's Above Photo
USA UT Ogden Hill Museum B-17G 44-83663, FAB 5400, N47780 Static display Short Bier Photo
USA WA Arlington Flying Heritage Collection B-17E 41-9210, N5842N, CF-ICB, N9720F, CP-753, N8WJ, N12355 Under restoration to operational
USA WA Seattle Museum of Flight B-17F 42-29782, N6015V, N17W Storage Boeing Bee Photo
USA WI Oshkosh Experimental Aircraft Association B-17G 44-85740, N5017N Operational Aluminum Overcast Photo

Partial B-17 Airframes

There are a number of partial airframes located around the world which may eventually form the basis, or at least contribute parts to, the assembly of complete B-17 airframes. These are listed as follows:

Country State City Location Series Identification Sequence Status Remarks Photo
USA AK Fairbanks B-17F 42-30861 Storage-wings Recovered from Alaska Link
USA GA Pooler Mighty Eighth Air Force Museum B-17F 41-24487 Display Eager Beaver, nose panel Photo
USA OH Cincinatti B-17F 42-30861 Aft fuselage Recovered from Alaska, restored by Gary Larkins Link
USA OH Urbana B-17 Project B-17G 44-83722 To be incorporated into 44-85813 restoration
USA OH Urbana B-17 Project B-17G 44-83316 To be incorporated into 44-85813 restoration Photo
USA OR Tillamook Tillamook Air Museum B-17F 42-30681 Storage-fuselage Recovered from Alaska Photo

Unrecovered B-17 Airframes

Following is a growing list of unrecovered B-17s. This is included both to indicate the relatively large number of airframes still out there, and also to complete the listing of surviving B-17 airframes. Most of the listed airframes are only a collection of scrap metal, be they buried under several hundred feet of ice in Greenland or underwater off a World War II battleground. Also included are various known crash sites for both military and civil B-17s.

Country State Location Setting Series Identification Sequence Status Remarks Other
Australia Queensland Bakers Creek B-17C 40-2072 Crash site Crashed 6/14/43; 40 KIA Link
Croatia Vis Island Offshore B-17G 44-6630 Underwater Lost 11/6/44 Link
France Corsica Calvi Bay Offshore B-17G 42-31044 Underwater Lost 2/14/44 Link
Greenland B-17E 41-9101 Under ice, wreckage
Greenland Near Narsak Fjord B-17E 41-9090 Underwater Ditched 6/27/42; current reg N3142U; attempted recovery 7/99; not located Link
Greenland Graah Fjord Fjord B-17G 42-97854 Underwater Ditched 4/9/44; current reg N9094V; attempted recovery 8/99; believed located but unrecovered Link
Greenland B-17E 41-9105 Under ice, wreckage
Solomon Islands Guadalcanal Offshore B-17E 41-2420 Underwater "Bessie, Jap Basher", ditched 9/24/42 Link
Papua New Guinea Swamp B-17E 41-2505 Crash site Link
Papua New Guinea Mountainside B-17E 41-9234 Crash site Blackcat Gap, ex RAF FL 461 Link
Papua New Guinea Near Boga Boga Ditching site B-17F 41-24521 Underwater "Black Jack", ditched 7/11/43 Link Link
Sweden Offshore B-17 Underwater No details Link
USA AZ 10 mi. E Yuma Mountainside B-17G 42-97619 Crash site Crashed 6/28/44 Link
USA CA 35 mi. E Georgetown Mountainside B-17C 40-2047 Crash site Crashed 11/2/41 Photos
USA CA 10 mi. NE Covelo Mountainside B-17F 42-5318 Crash site Crashed 5/30/43 Link
USA CO Deadman Gulch Mountainside B-17F 44-3320 Crash site Crashed 5/13/43 Link
USA CO Haystack Gate Mountainside B-17G 44-83710(?) Crash site Crashed 10/26/48 Link
USA CO Pingree Park Mountainside B-17F 42-6042 Crash site Crashed 10/18/43; mountainside, elev. 10500' Link
USA CO Crownpoint Mountainside B-17F 42-30891 Crash site Crashed 6/14/44; mountainside, elev. 10750' Link
USA MI Porcupine Mountains Hill side B-17G 42-30762 Crash site Crashed 4/19/44
USA NV 15 mi. NW Las Vegas Desert B-17G 42-31324 Crash site Midair collision, 2/25/44
USA NV 67 mi N-NE Las Vegas Desert B-17G 42-31257 Crash site Crashed 1/4/44 Link
USA WA 6 mi N Marmot Pass, Olympic Peninsula Mountainside B-17G 44-85746 Crash site SB-17G, crashed 1/19/52 Info
USA WA Blue Mountains southeast of Walla Walla Mountainside B-17F 42-5367 Crash site Crashed 2/11/43 Photo
USA WY Bomber Mountain, W. of Buffalo Mountainside B-17F 42-3399 Crash site Crashed 7/28/43 Link

Currently Registered But "MIA" or Long-gone B-17s

Following is a listing of B-17s that are currently carried on the U.S. civil register but are unrecovered, non-current, or mystery airframes. In some cases, recovery groups apparently try to lay claim to unrecovered B-17s by having civil registrations assigned. Two airframes have been on the civil registry since the early 1960s, though the actual airframes no longer exist.
Registration Series S/N Location Remarks
N3142U B-17E 41-9090 Narsak, Greenland Underwater near Narsak, Greenland; ditched 6/27/42; attempted recovery 7/99; not located. As of Jan 06, registration being canceled.
N4960V B-17G 43-38978 None Basically a paperwork airframe; scrapped c. 1962
N5069P B-17G 42-97270 Unknown Unrecovered? As of Jan 06, registration being canceled.
N5236V B-17G 44-83874 None Another paperwork airframe; probably scrapped c. 1963 As of Jan 06, registration being canceled.
N9814F B-17G 44-83811 None Scrapped 8/61. As of Jan 06, registration being canceled.
N9094V B-17G 42-97854 Graah Fjord, Greenland Underwater; ditched 4/9/44; attempted recovery 8/99; believed located but unrecovered

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Updated: 04/29/08