The Douglas C-54 “Spirit of Freedom” — which commemorates the Berlin Airlift — was severely damaged April 13, 2020, by tornadoes that ravaged the Carolinas.
According to a Facebook post by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation, the C-54 was parked at Lowcountry Regional Airport (KRBW) in Walterboro, S.C., where it has been since Dec. 18, 2019, for the installation of a new Stratus Transponder by Swamp Fox Avionics to comply with the FAA mandate for transponders meeting the ADS-B requirements by Jan. 1, 2020.
“It is too early to assess the extent of the tornado damage, however, photographs reveal the leading edge of the right outerwing and the rear left center wing flap area received substantial damage,” officials said in one of the first posts to Facebook. “Due to the many restrictions now in place regarding the COVID-19 virus epidemic, it will take some time to reach a full evaluation.”
Photos show the plane pushed up onto a hangar. Once the crew was able to get the wing free of the hangar, officials discovered “lots of belly skin damage, but the stabilizer is undamaged. Now to assess the extent of this mess.”
While the damage is still being assessed, one thing officials know for sure: “It’s going to be an expensive repair. All help is appreciated.”
If you want a way to help, donations can be made at SpiritOfFreedom.org/Donate.html.
My First Flying Job In The AF, as a Flt Mech,
Holloman AFB, NM. Flew With Pilots Who
Flew The Berlin Airlift, They Had Some Great
Stories.
I fly in and around this airport all of the time. Its a shame what happened to the C-54 and plenty of others as well. There is a lot of damage to the airport as well.