Rare Warbird Seized By Federal Officials

Editorial Staff

Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 12:00 AM ET

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Key Takeaways:

Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS) have seized a Douglas AD-4N Skyraider warbird imported from France by Claude Hendrickson.
The seizure is based on allegations by DHS that required import forms were improperly filed, despite the aircraft being registered and actively flying since its importation last year.
Owner Claude Hendrickson is appealing for public and congressional support through a dedicated website to ensure the preservation and return of his Skyraider.

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Federal agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department for Homeland Security, have seized a Douglas AD-4N Skyraider that was imported to the U.S. from France last year, EAA said this week. “The feds have seized it,” Claude Hendrickson, of Bessemer, Ala., confirmed to AVweb on Wednesday. “It’s here in a hangar under lock and key and we are not allowed access to it.” Hendrickson bought the airplane in France and flew it home last year. It was registered with the FAA last September and has been flying since then. DHS alleges that required forms were improperly filed, according to EAA. Hendrickson has created a Web site with details about the airplane, and asks that supporters contact their congressional representatives to plead for the preservation and return of the airplane.

The Skyraider is a single-seat, single-engine piston attack bomber that was flown by the U.S. military from the 1950s until the early 1970s. The airplanes flew in combat in Korea and Vietnam.