Is it the pilot? Bones and a parachute found near eerily preserved plane that crashed in Sahara desert 70 years ago
Bid for survival: The P40 Kittyhawk was found perfectly preserved and someone had apparently tried to build a shelter beside it
The wreckage of the P40 Kittyhawk plane was found perfectly preserved earlier this year, 70 years after the accident, and now it seems that airman Dennis Copping’s remains may have been recovered nearby. The bones were located on some rocks four months ago, along with a piece of parachute, about three miles from where the plane landed in the Sahara desert in 1942. A keychain fob with the number 61 on it was found near the remains, along with a metal button dated 1939.
- The 12 human bones were found on some rocks three miles from the wreckage
- A piece of parachute and a metal button dated 1939 were found nearby
- Flight Sergeant Dennis Copping crashed at the spot in 1942, and is thought to have wandered off into the desert
- The perfectly preserved plane was foundearlier this year by Polish oil exploration workers
His nephew, William Pryor-Bennett, from Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland,
has now urged for DNA tests to be carried out as soon as possible. To
that end, two British historians and a forensic anatomist have
volunteered to travel to Egypt and recover the bones themselves. Mr
Pryor-Bennett, 62, said he is ‘appalled’ at the way the matter has been
handled. He said: ‘The bones suspected to be those of my uncle are
apparently still lying in the desert. They were found in June and should
have been tested by now. ‘Someone from the MoD got in touch with me in
August to say that they aren’t his bones.
‘But it would now seem they have written off the remains prematurely
as no DNA tests have been done. I am a little appalled at this. ‘They
need to be tested as soon as possible. The plane is of no interest to me
but he could be buried if it is him. ‘This man disappeared long before I
was born. My mother and my grandmother used to talk about him and what a
nice lad he was. ‘He was a serving his country and who was out there
doing his bit. He should be treated properly.’
Ft Sgt Copping, 24, was from Southend, Essex, and flew with the 260 Squadron. He had been flying between two British bases in Egypt during the north Africa campaign in World War Two when he disappeared. Nothing was ever seen of him or his plane again until earlier this year when a team of Polish oil exploration workers stumbled upon the perfectly preserved aircraft. There is evidence to suggest Ft Sgt Copping survived the crash and made a makeshift shelter outside the plane using his parachute.
It is thought he died while making a futile attempt to walk out of the desert and…
Ft Sgt Copping, 24, was from Southend, Essex, and flew with the 260 Squadron. He had been flying between two British bases in Egypt during the north Africa campaign in World War Two when he disappeared. Nothing was ever seen of him or his plane again until earlier this year when a team of Polish oil exploration workers stumbled upon the perfectly preserved aircraft. There is evidence to suggest Ft Sgt Copping survived the crash and made a makeshift shelter outside the plane using his parachute.
It is thought he died while making a futile attempt to walk out of the desert and…
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