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Stolen wings from historic planes recovered
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Robert Kropp, a restoration director with the Wingspan Aviation Heritage Foundation, stands under the wing of a restored 1945 Lockheed PV-2 at Falcon Field in Mesa.
Ralph Freso, Tribune
Two historic airplane wings that were stolen more than a week ago were returned to their owner Friday and Saturday after an anonymous caller known only as “Fred” revealed where they were located.
SLIDESHOW: Wings stolen from historic aircraft
Theft of aircraft wings leaves restorer frantic
The anonymous caller on Friday contacted Mesa’s Falcon Field and asked to talk with Mesa airplane restoration expert Robert Kropp, then told him the location of one wing and the trailer.
Kropp contacted police, who flew an air unit over desert terrain east of Johnson Ranch near Queen Creek, and found a wing and trailer.
The following day, the caller again contacted Kropp and gave him the location of the second wing, which police found near Signal Butte and Pecos roads.
“We don’t know at this point who the caller was,” said Mesa police spokesman Sgt. Ed Wessing. “He would only speak with the victim and would only identify himself as Fred. The phone numbers came up private.”
Wessing said investigators took some fingerprints off one of the items and police are running them through a database to see if they match anyone.
Wessing said one of the items was damaged.
The wings weighed a combined 2,500 pounds and had been sitting in a secured storage lot at Apache Wells Golf Club, 5601 E. Hermosa Vista Drive, waiting to be put onto two airplanes that were being assembled at Falcon Field.
The wings are from a Lockheed PV-2 Harpoon and a Lockheed T-33 jet trainer. The PV-2 was built in 1945 and was a World War II Navy patrol bomber, and the T-33 was built in the 1950s as a jet trainer for the Air Force. Kropp said there are only 35 PV-2 airplanes left in the world.
Kropp wasn’t immediately available for comment, but in a voice mail left at the Tribune, he said he was happy that all three items were returned.
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