Oshkosh - Martin Mars skadd under landing - AVweb

Foto: EAA

Mars Water Bomber Damaged In Landing, Flybys Cancelled

By Elaine Kauh

[IMGCAP(1)] The Martin Mars water bomber, one of the main attractions at this week’s AirVenture show in Oshkosh, made a precautionary landing on Lake Winnebago Friday evening and was damaged. The incident forced the Canadian operator of the seaplane to cancel today’s demonstration flight at the afternoon airshow, according to a report in the Oshkosh Northwestern. The Mars crew detected an issue with one of the four engines during a flight and returned to the lake to land. Something beneath the water in Lake Winnebago, which has a maximum depth of 21 feet, tore a hole in the bottom of the aircraft. The crew and a local fire department pumped out the water and the plane was able to return to the seaplane base, the newspaper reported. The rare Mars seaplane, one of two owned by Coulson Group, made its first appearance at Oshkosh, arriving July 23 at the EAA Seaplane Base. The massive aircraft had already impressed crowds during the week with flybys dropping water from its 8,000-gallon tanks. The Mars aircraft were orginally built for the Navy and first flew in 1942, then were used as water bombers after World War II.