| My Gal Sal | |
|---|---|
 My Gal Sal at the National World War II Museum | |
| General information | |
| Type | B-17E-BO Flying Fortress |
| Manufacturer | Boeing |
| Owners | USAAF |
| Serial | 41-9032 |
| History | |
| In service | 1942 |
| Preserved at | National World War II Museum,New Orleans,Louisiana |
My Gal Sal is aB-17E-BO Flying Fortress whose pilot was forced to land it on theGreenland icecap duringWorld War II. Many years later, it was recovered and returned to the United States to be restored. It is one of only foursurviving B-17Es in existence.
On 27 June 1942, B-17Eserial number 41-9032 namedMy Gal Sal—part of the342d Bombardment Squadron of the97th Bombardment Group—was one of 13 B-17s flying the Labrador-to-Greenland leg of a ferry flight to theUnited Kingdom as part ofOperation Bolero, the military build-up in Europe. Inclement weather broke up the flight; five B-17s returned to Labrador, while the remainder continued on to Greenland. Over Greenland three of the aircraft were forced to land by the weather, includingMy Gal Sal.[1]
The airplane's propellers were damaged by the landing, which kept the engines from being run to generate power needed to use the radio. It took an entire day, but the crew cut off the tips of one of the propellers so that an engine could be run and they were able to make contact. The aircraft's crew camped in the B-17 for nine days until a rescue airplane could arrive. They had to hike the 26 miles (42 km) to a lake where the rescue airplane had been able to land.[2]
The aircraft was abandoned, not to be seen again until a 1964 overflight by aUSAF reconnaissance aircraft. At that time,My Gal Sal appeared to be intact.
In 1965, with USAF cooperation, the Society of Automotive Engineers sent a representative to the crash site to gather various materials fromMy Gal Sal, such as hydraulic fluid, navigational equipment, and rubber. The team wished to understand the long-term effects on the materials from harsh environment of the Arctic and applied these findings to such military programs as the Titan and Minuteman ballistic missiles being maintained in underground silos.[3]
In 1995My Gal Sal was recovered from the ice, although high winds and the movement of ice over the 53 years since its abandonment had damaged the airframe, separating the tail section offuselage from the rest of the aircraft and causing additional damage throughout.
The plane was restored to a static configuration atCincinnati-Blue Ash Airport (ICAO designation: KISZ) inCincinnati, Ohio,[4][5] and is now part of the collection of theNational World War II Museum inNew Orleans,Louisiana.
