Incident
On the morning of a celebration marking the first transatlantic flight by a Curtis NC-4 aircraft in 1917, two Catalina flying boats arrived. The first landed without any problems. However, the second Catalina veered off its landing course and struck a temporary buoy. It then collided with a heavy permanent navigational buoy, which ripped off part of a wing and one of its floats. The impact caused the aircraft to cartwheel out of control, performing a spectacular 'surface loop'.
Rescue and Aftermath
Despite the damage, the Catalina remained afloat. People from the welcoming party's boats rescued those on board. One crew member was taken to a hospital with a gashed leg. The sinking aircraft was kept afloat and towed to the nearby former RAF flying boat base at Mount Batten. There, it was placed in one of the old 'Sunderland' hangars and underwent repairs for several months. Eventually, the aircraft flew out of Plymouth Hoe on the return leg of the transatlantic flight towards the end of the year.