Grumman G-21 Goose Explained

The Grumman G-21 Goose is an amphibious flying boat designed by Grumman to serve as an eight-seat "commuter" aircraft for businessmen in the Long Island area. The Goose was Grumman's first monoplane to fly, its first twin-engined aircraft, and its first aircraft to enter commercial airline service. During World War II, the Goose became an effective transport for the US military (including the United States Coast Guard), as well as serving with many other air forces. During hostilities, the Goose took on an increasing number of combat and training roles.

Design and development

In 1936, a group of wealthy residents of Long Island, including E. Roland Harriman, approached Grumman and commissioned an aircraft that they could use to fly to New York City.[1] In response, the Grumman Model G-21 was designed as a light amphibious transport. Grumman produced a high-wing monoplane of almost all-metal construction—the trailing half of the main wing and all of the flight control surfaces except for the flaps were fabric-covered. It was powered by two 450hp Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp Junior nine-cylinder, air-cooled, radial engines mounted on the leading edges of the wings. The deep fuselage served also as a hull and was equipped with hand-cranked retractable landing gear. First flight of the prototype took place on May 29, 1937.[2]

The fuselage also proved versatile, as it provided generous interior space that allowed fitting for either a transport or luxury airliner role. Having an amphibious configuration also allowed the G-21 to go just about anywhere, and plans were made to market it as an amphibian airliner.[3]

Modifications

A number of modifications were made for the Goose, but the most numerous are those by McKinnon Enterprises of Sandy, Oregon, which holds 21 supplemental type certificates (STCs) for modifying G-21-series aircraft and which also manufactured four different conversions that were recertified under a separate FAA type certificate as brand-new "McKinnon" airplanes.[4] The first was the McKinnon model G-21C which involved replacing the original R-985 radial engines with four Lycoming GSO-480-B2D6 piston engines. It was approved under TC 4A24 on November 7, 1958, and two examples were converted in 1958–1959.

New production

In November 2007, Antilles Seaplanes of Gibsonville, North Carolina, announced it was restarting production of the turbine-powered McKinnon G-21G Turbo Goose variant, now identified as the Antilles G-21G Super Goose.[1] Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-34 turboprops flat-rated to would have replaced the original PT6A-27 engines,[1] and the airframe systems and especially the avionics (aviation electronics – i.e. radios and navigation systems) would have been updated with state-of-the-art "glass panel" instrumentation and cockpit displays. However, as of 2009, Antilles Seaplanes' manufacturing center has been foreclosed and sold at auction. The fate of new Goose production is currently unknown.[5]

Operational history

Envisioned as corporate or private flying yachts for Manhattan millionaires, initial production models normally carried two to three passengers and had a bar and small toilet installed. In addition to being marketed to small air carriers, the G-21 was also promoted as a military transport. In 1938, the U.S. Army Air Corps purchased the type as the OA-9 (later, in the war years, examples impressed from civilian ownership were designated the OA-13A). The most numerous of the military versions were the United States Navy variants, designated the JRF.

The amphibious aircraft was also adopted by the Coast Guard and, during World War II, served with the Royal Canadian Air Force in the transport, reconnaissance, rescue, and training roles. The G-21 was used for air-sea rescue duties by the Fleet Air Arm, who assigned the name Goose. A single aircraft was used briefly by No. 1 Air Ambulance Unit, Royal Australian Air Force in the Mediterranean.[21]

After the war, the Goose found continued commercial use in locations from Alaska to Catalina and the Caribbean.

A total of 345 were built, with about 30 known to still be airworthy today (although around 60 are still on various civil registries, many of them are known to have crashed or been otherwise destroyed), most being in private ownership, some of them operating in modified forms.[6]

Variants

G-21
  • The original production version, these were powered by two Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior SB engines, at gross weight, with six passengers, and 12 were built, all converted to G-21A standards.[7]
    Increased gross weight, 30 built.[7]
  • G-21B
  • Export coastal patrol flying boat armed with machine gun in bow and dorsal hatches and two bombs underwing, 12 built for Portuguese Naval Aviation.[7]
    G-21C
  • Conversion by McKinnon Enterprises, these were re-engined with four Lycoming GSO-480-B2D6 air-cooled, geared, and supercharged flat-six engines and fitted with retractable wingtip floats, a fiberglass radar nose, a one-piece wraparound windshield, and enlarged cabin windows; gross weight increased to as result of internal structural reinforcements. Two were converted as piston-powered models G-21C in 1958–1959, and two other airframes subsequently were converted in 1968, but with two Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprops per STC SA1320WE as G-21C Hybrids. Two G-21C Hybrids were identical to the later model G-21E, but they were never certified as such.[8]
    G-21D
  • One G-21C was further converted by McKinnon with an extended nose marked by two extra windows on each side and accommodating another four passengers. Recertified as G-21D in 1960. In 1966, it was re-engined with two PT6A-20 turboprops and fitted with revised Alvarez-Calderon electric flaps in accordance with STC SA1320WE, retaining the G-21D designation, but subsequently identified as the McKinnon "Turboprop Goose".[9]
    G-21E
  • A fully certified new model, it was based on a simplified turbine conversion of the McKinnon G-21C, with PT6A-20 engines (Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 engines optional) and more fuel, but without all of the structural reinforcements of the G-21C. gross weight. One converted.[4]
    G-21G
  • The final McKinnon conversion also was fully certified as a new model with PT6A-27 engines, of fuel, and gross weight. Two converted.[10]
    Kaman K-16B
  • Experimental tilt wing aircraft, with JRF-5 fuselage powered by two General Electric YT58-GE-2A engines; one built but not flown.[11] [12]
    XJ3F-1
  • Prototype eight-seat utility amphibian, built for the US Navy; one built in 1938.[7] [13]
    JRF-1
  • Production XJ3F-1, five built for US Navy.[7]
    JRF-1A
  • Similar to JRF-1, but with target towing gear and camera hatch added, five built for US Navy.[7]
    JRF-2
  • U.S. Coast Guard version with provisions for carrying stretchers; seven built.[7]
    JRF-3
  • Similar to the JRF-2, fitted with autopilot and deicing boots on the wing leading edges for Arctic operations. Three built for US Coast Guard.[7] [14]
    JRF-4
  • Similar to JRF-1A, these could carry two underwing depth bombs. Ten built for US Navy.[7]
    JRF-5
  • Major production version with bomb racks, target towing and camera gear, and deicing gear; 184 built.[7] In 1953, a modified JRF-5 tested hydroskis for the US Navy.[15]
    JRF-5G
  • 24 JRF-5s transferred to the US Coast Guard.[7] [14]
    JRF-6B
  • Navigation trainer purchased for supply under Lend-Lease; 50 built.[7]
    OA-9
  • Transport and air-sea rescue for United States Army Air Forces, 26 ordered in 1938, supplemented by five JRF-6Bs under the same designation.[7] [14]
    OA-13A
  • Three G-21As impressed by the USAAF.[7] [16]
    OA-13B
  • Two JRF-5s transferred to the USAAF.[7] [16]
    Goose Mk.I
  • British designation for three JRF-5s supplied to the Fleet Air Arm.[17]
    Goose Mk.IA
  • British designation for 44 JRF-6Bs, supplied under Lend Lease for observer training by the 749 Naval Air Squadron in Trinidad.[17]
    Goose Mk.II
  • British designation for two JRF-5s staff transports for British Air Commission in the United States and Canada.[17]

    Operators

    Military operators

    Canada
    United States

    Civil Government operators

    United States
    Canada

    Civil operators

    United States

    Accidents and incidents

    19 November 1943: Grumman JRF-2 of Port Heiden, Alaska (USCG), crashed with three crewmen and one passenger missing. It was found in 1987.[29]
  • 13 March 1947: A Grumman JRF-6B of Loftleiðir with seven passengers and a pilot crashed immediately after takeoff on Hvammsfjörður by the town of Búðardalur in Iceland. The pilot and four other passengers were rescued by a boat after they evacuated the plane. Three passengers could not evacuate the plane and went down with it under water. One of the passengers rescued did not survive. The pilot and three passengers survived; four passengers were killed.[30]
  • 21 August 1958: N720 crashed in the Brooks Range, near the upper Ivishak River, in Alaska, killing U.S. Fish and Wildlife Agents Clarence J. Rhode and Stanley Fredericksen, and Clarence's son Jack. The crash site was not found until August 23, 1979.[31]
  • 27 January 1961: A JRF-5 of the French Navy crashed, killing Admiral Pierre Ponchardier and five others. This accident led the French Navy to retire all of their Grumman JRF-5 Gooses in the spring of 1961.[32] [33]
  • 30 July 1971: One person was killed and one was injured when a Grumman G-21A taking off from the airport in Greenville, Maine experienced engine failure or malfunction during takeoff. The NTSB determined the probable cause to be the pilot's lack of familiarity with the plane and fuel mismanagement.[34]
  • 22 June 1972
  • N1513V of Reeve Aleutian Airways was written off at False Pass, Alaska.[35] [36]
    25 August 1978: All 11 people aboard a Webber Airlines seaplane were killed when the Grumman Goose crashed on as it was preparing to land at Labouchere Bay on Prince of Wales Island after a flight from Ketchikan, Alaska.[37] [38]
  • 2 September 1978: Charles F. Blair Jr., former Naval Air Transport Service and Pan American Airways pilot and husband to actress Maureen O'Hara, was flying a Grumman Goose that belonged to his company, Antilles Air Boats, from St. Croix to St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands when it crashed into the ocean due to failure of the left engine. Three passengers and he were killed; seven passengers were severely injured.[39]
  • 24 July 1984: Grumman Goose G-21A, Serial # B-114, Registration: N 2021 A, Hal’s Air Service, Piloted by Hal Dierich, Four Fatalities including pilot. Collision with water in the narrow strait NW of Monashka Bay near Ouzinkie, Kodiak Island, AK. [40]
  • 15 February 2005: A 1939 Grumman Goose G-21A, registered N-327, crashed around 9:30 am in a field on Route 14A near Penn Yan, New York after an engine failure simulation went wrong. The plane fell rapidly, with the left wing hitting the ground first, before the badly damaged plane burst into flames on impact. Pilots Paul and Daryl Middlebrook, both of Penn Yan, escaped serious injury. The plane, originally owned by the Peruvian Air Force, had starred in the 1980s ABC television series Tales of the Gold Monkey as Cutter's Goose.
  • 3 August 2008: A Grumman Goose of Pacific Coastal Airlines with seven passengers and crew crashed during a flight from Port Hardy to Chamiss Bay. The aircraft was completely destroyed by a fire. There were only two survivors.[41]
  • 16 November 2008: A Grumman Goose of Pacific Coastal Airlines with eight passengers and crew crashed on South Thormanby Island near Sechelt off British Columbia's Sunshine Coast in bad weather during a flight from Vancouver International Airport to Toba Inlet, BC. Only one passenger survived. The company resumed floatplane operations on November 19, 2008.[42]
  • 27 February 2011: A turbine Goose, N221AG, crashed in the United Arab Emirates when it veered immediately after takeoff.[43]
  • 17 June 2014: A Grumman G-21A Goose lost control in a snowstorm over the Montana/Idaho border and crashed into the parking lot of the Lost Trail Ski Area near the summit of Lost Trail Pass, subsequently catching fire. The plane was completely destroyed, and the pilot, who was the only occupant of the plane, was killed.[44] [45]
  • 18 December 2023: A Grumman Goose operated by Wilderness Seaplanes crashed shortly after takeoff from Bella Bella, British Columbia on its way to Port Hardy, British Columbia. The plane was transporting the pilot and four fish farm workers. All survived with minor injuries.[46] [47]
  • Aircraft on display

    Canada
    Indonesia
    Sweden
    United States

    Bibliography

    External links

    Notes and References

    1. http://www.antillesseaplanes.com/history.htm "Goose."
    2. http://aerofiles.com/_grum.html "Grumman Goose."
    3. Truelson 1976
    4. http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgMakeModel.nsf/0/c736225d8f22b0f68625742f004b0d6b/$FILE/4a24.pdf "FAA Type Certificate no. 4A24".
    5. Web site: The Grumman Goose: Replacing an Alaska aviation legend. Anchorage Daily News. 20 October 2011. 3 May 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20131012050735/http://www.alaskadispatch.com/article/grumman-goose-replacing-alaska-aviation-legend. 12 October 2013.
    6. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=3874032a-97af-458b-ab27-beb7757f27a3 "Seven confirmed dead in B.C. plane crash."
    7. Francillon and Killion 1993, p.55.
    8. http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=642 "Aircraft N642"
    9. Francillon and Killion 1993, pp. 54–56.
    10. Web site: FAA Registry - Aircraft - N-Number Inquiry . 2011-08-26 . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20141011050908/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=77AQ . 2014-10-11 . and "Aircraft – N70AL." FAA Registry. Retrieved: August 26, 2011.
    11. Kaman K-16B Amphibious VTOL Nears Rollout. Aviation Week & Space Technology. January 11, 1960. 121. registration . live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160523051154/http://archive.aviationweek.com/issue/19600111#!&pid=121. May 23, 2016.
    12. Web site: Kaman K-16B. New England Air Museum. February 26, 2016. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160305030529/https://www.neam.org/?id=899. March 5, 2016.
    13. Green 1968, pp. 169–170.
    14. Donald 1995, p. 145.
    15. https://books.google.com/books?id=zdwDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA119 "Hydro-Skis On Seaplanes Speed Take-Off."
    16. Green 1968, p.169.
    17. March 1998, p.127.
    18. Núñez Padin, Jorge Felix (2009).
    19. http://www.adf-serials.com.au/goose.htm Brendan Cowan
    20. Francillon 2008, p. 37
    21. Hagedorn 1993, p. 68.
    22. http://nei.adf-serials.com/indonesian-aviation-1945-50.pdf "Indonesian aviation 1945-1950."
    23. Niccoli 1998, p. 39.
    24. Niccoli 1998, pp. 38–39.
    25. Thetford, 1978, p.592
    26. http://www.canada.com/topics/news/story.html?id=262732da-ac45-479d-a4e7-0cf5a405bdb6 "Grumman Goose has served coast for many years as 'flying-boat workhorse'."
    27. Web site: South East Asia 1960s-1970s - Indonesia & Dutch New Guinea. 9 February 2021. goodall.com.au.
    28. http://www.timetableimages.com, June 1, 1969 Alaska Airlines system timetable
    29. Web site: US Coast Guard Aviation casualties. uscg.mil. 3 May 2018.
    30. Web site: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 27712. 10 August 2013. live. http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20130810063134/http://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=27712. 10 August 2013.
    31. Book: Wilbanks, William. Forgotten Heroes of Alaska. 1999. Turner Publishing Company. 978-1-56311-511-0. 60.
    32. http://www.ffaa.net/seaplanes/goose/goose.htm JRF-5 Goose
    33. Web site: fncv federation nationale combattants volontaires france association. FNCV. www.fncv.com. 3 May 2018.
    34. News: Lowell . Jessica . Plane crashes in Greenville since 1966 . 16 August 2018 . Kennebec Journal . Press Herald . 30 July 2018.
    35. https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=58216&key=0 "N1513V."
    36. https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=2645&key=0 "accident."
    37. News: 11 Lost in Crash . UPI. . August 26, 1978 . 2.
    38. News: Alaska crash victimes identified . AP. The Spokesman Review (Spokane WA) . August 27, 1978 . B6.
    39. Web site: Antilles Air Boats, Inc., Grumman G21A, N7777V. Accident Reports. National Transportation Safety Board. 18 March 2016. 28 June 1979. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20160124044355/https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAR7909.aspx. 24 January 2016.
    40. NTSB Report Identification: ANC84FA119, The docket is stored on NTSB microfiche number 26622
    41. https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080803.wcrashdead0803/BNStory/National/?page=rss&id=RTGAM.20080803.wcrashdead0803 "5 dead in B.C. plane crash."
    42. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/7-dead-1-survivor-in-plane-crash-off-b-c-coast-1.757102 "7 dead in plane crash off B.C. coast."
    43. http://www.cnn.com/2011/WORLD/meast/02/28/uae.plane.crash/index.html "Plane crash kills 4 in UAE"
    44. Web site: Archived copy . 2014-06-18 . dead. https://archive.today/20140618200353/http://www.kbzk.com/news/one-believed-dead-in-lost-trail-plane-crash/ . 2014-06-18 .
    45. Web site: Pilot killed in Lost Trail crash; witnesses describe fireball. Missoulian. billingsgazette.com. 3 May 2018. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20180504091238/http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/montana/pilot-killed-in-lost-trail-crash-witnesses-describe-fireball/article_9ca5d782-76dd-52c4-a24d-35ec836a80f8.html. 4 May 2018.
    46. Web site: All Survive Crash Of Historic Goose Amphib. AVweb. December 26, 2023. December 26, 2023.
    47. Web site: ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 348996. Aviation Safety Network. December 26, 2023.
    48. Web site: Grumman G-21A Goose II . Ingenium . 6 August 2018.
    49. Web site: Dupas . Ron . No. 406B. Grumman G-21A Goose (CF-MPG c/n B.77) Royal Canadian Mounted Police . 1000AircraftPhotos.com . 7 August 2018.
    50. Web site: Grumman G-21 Goose: Pesawat Intai Amfibi Ringan TNI AU, Pernah Jadi Arsenal Skadron Udara 5. indomiliter.com. 6 November 2017. 9 February 2021. id.
    51. Web site: TP 81 . Flygvapenmuseum . 28 December 2021 . Swedish.
    52. Web site: Anusewicz . Tom . N79901 . Antilles Air Boats . 28 December 2021.
    53. Web site: Forsgren . Jan . Grumman Goose to be restored in Sweden . Key.Aero . 28 December 2021 . 28 April 2017.
    54. Web site: Grumman G-21 Goose . Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum . Smithsonian Institution . 6 August 2018 . 20 July 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190720212524/https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/grumman-g-21-goose . dead .
    55. Web site: JRF Goose . National Naval Aviation Museum . Naval Aviation Museum Foundation . 7 August 2018 .
    56. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Grumman G-21/JRF/OA-9/OA-13 Goose, c/n 1085, c/r N12CS . Aerial Visuals . AerialVisuals.ca . 7 August 2018.
    57. Web site: Save The Goose Project . Tongass Historical Society . 6 August 2018.
    58. News: Dudzak . Maria . Volunteers progress on Goose restoration . 6 August 2018 . KRBD . Rainbird Community Radio . 26 May 2016.
    59. Web site: FAA Registry [N88821] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 6 August 2018 . 7 August 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180807032651/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=88821 . dead .
    60. Web site: 1943 Grumman G-21A "Goose" . Alaska Aviation Museum . 10 March 2024 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180922015304/http://www.alaskaairmuseum.org:80/explore/exhibits/1943-grumman-g-21a-goose . 22 September 2018.
    61. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Grumman JRF-5 Goose, s/n 84807 USN, c/n B-102, c/r N789 . Aerial Visuals . 10 March 2024.
    62. Web site: FAA Registry [N7811] ]. Federal Aviation Administration . U.S. Department of Transportation . 2018-08-06 . 2018-08-07 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180807032502/http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=7811 . dead .
    63. Web site: Airframe Dossier - Grumman JRF-5 Goose, s/n 87736 USN, c/n B-130, c/r N644R . Aerial Visuals . AerialVisuals.ca . 6 August 2018.
    64. Web site: Grumman G-21 Goose . Cradle of Aviation Museum . 6 August 2018.
    65. Web site: Haynes . Eddy . S/N 1051 . Goose Central . 1 February 2021.
    66. Web site: Denton . Guy . N327 C/N 1051 . The Grumman Goose and Widgeons . 1 February 2021.