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| JAAF ? Sentai |
Aircraft History Built by Mitsubishi. True serial number unknown (three or four digits). Delivered to the Japanese Army Air Force (JAAF) as Type 97 Heavy Bomber model II / Ki-21-II Sally manufacture number unknown (four digits). Wartime History This bomber was assigned to an unknown Sentai (Flying Regiment). No known markings or tail number. The precise history of this bomber is unknown other than it was abandoned and likely destroyed while parked at Lakunai Airfield near Rabaul on the south side of the runway with both engines removed. Wreckage This bomber remains in situ at Lakunai Airfield. Known locally simply as a "Japanese bomber" or incorrectly described as a "Betty bomber". This aircraft was a short walk from the airport terminal building at Lakunai Airport and frequently visited and photographed by tourists who customarily paid a small fee to the landowners. By the early 1970s, the rear fuselage was broken causing the nose section to point upward. The front of the nose was crushed inward on the right side. The tail section was present but broken off and located behind the fuselage. Nearby is the forward fuselage of a Ki-43 Oscar and another further to the west Ki-21 Sally 12?2. Charles Darby visited this aircraft in 1963: "I really searched the Lakunai Ki-21 for an i/d in 1963 when I first visited it, but never found a trace of any numbers." During the 1994 volcanic eruptions, Lakunai Airport was closed and the wreckage was covered in volcanic ash. Afterwards, landowners dug out the bomber to encourage visitors to return. Justin Taylan first visited this aircraft in 2000: "It survived the 1994 eruption, although coated in ash. On the right wing, the lower Hinomaru is still visible. The tail of the aircraft is broken off and located behind the fuselage and wings, on its side. Nearby is the forward fuselage of a Ki-43 Oscar." References Production Record for the Type 97 Heavy Bomber (Ki-21) (Sally) by James Long Pacific Aircraft Wrecks page 79 (middle left, lower) Thanks to Charles Darby and Justin Taylan for additional information Contribute
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