This Day in Aviation History
November 22nd, 1946
First flight of the Martin 2-0-2.

The Martin 2-0-2 was an airliner introduced in 1947. The twin-engined piston fixed-wing aircraft was designed and built by the Glenn L. Martin Company.

Glenn L. Martin, president of the company, intended that the Model 202 would be a replacement for the Douglas DC-3. It was also known as the “Martin Executive”.

The first flight of the model was in November 1946. Full civilian certification was gained in August 1947. This was several months before competing aircraft types. The total production of 2-0-2 and 2-0-2A was 47 aircraft.

The aircraft was non-pressurized but was considered a long range airliner. The fatal crash in 1948 of Northwest Airlines Flight 421 revealed a serious structural problem in the wings. Structural metal fatigue was the problem in a major wing spar. Alloy 7075-T6 was used, which is susceptible to stress-corrosion cracking and low toughness. The airliner was grounded and modifications were made. The wing components were redesigned and the engines replaced. The changed type was designated the Martin 2-0-2A….

Source:
Wikipedia, Martin 2-0-2: http://gstv.us/1H1rD4I

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