A carrier-based fighter aircraft, numbered "15," lies nose-down on the flight deck of USS Petrof Bay (CVE-80) after its landing gear collapsed on February 18, 1945, bending the propeller blades on impact. The pilot, Lt.(jg) Cartwright, survived the incident. Landing accidents such as this were common hazards of wartime carrier operations, documented by the Navy for accident investigation records. Project: 218490