The cause of the accidents was suspected to be undetectable metal fatigue, and H&P was cleared of any wrongdoing, but with its key assets grounded debt grew and it was only a matter of time before the business that was founded by in 1969 by Dan Hawkins and Gene Powers was forced to declare bankruptcy. H&P shut their doors at the end of 2005 and sold off their assets to the Great American Group to satisfy nearly $15 million that it owed to creditors.

On August 23rd & 24th of 2006 a multitude of bidders gathered at the Big Horn County Airport to purchase what remained of the H&P assets. Many airworthy assets had already been sold to other aerial firefighting companies but there were still enough aircraft and parts left to excite many aviation collectors, engine rebuilders, and aviation museums.

Still available for bid were the only airworthy C-82 Packet, PB4Y Privateers, an A-26C Invader, a C-97 that flew in the Berlin Airlift, as well as the C-119 Flying Boxcar that was used in the 2004 remake of the movie “Flight of The Phoenix” that starred Dennis Quaid.

The C-82 Packet fetched one of the highest bids, $127,000, and was purchased by the Hagerstown Aviation Museum in Hagerstown, Maryland. The museum was a fitting destination for this unique sixty year old aircraft since it was originally manufactured at the Fairchild plant in Hagerstown along with 222 others just like it.

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Another fitting destination was the C-119 Flying Boxcar, which along with the A-26C Invader, was purchased by the Lauridsen Aviation Musuem in Glendale, Arizona. Glendale is 5 miles north of Phoenix and the C-119L is the same aircraft that was used in the remake of the movie “Flight of the Phoenix.” While the A-26 fetched $112,500 the C-119 was sold for $70,000 which also included 2 spare engines.

Other notable purchases made during the auction were the 3 KC-97 Stratofreighters, a transport aircraft based on the fuselage of the B-29 Superfortress, were purchased by aviation entrepreneur and pilot Clay Lacy. Two of the aircraft are expected to be made flyable while a third will be used for its parts. Also up for auction was truckloads of radial engines, propellers, and other parts that were hauled away by engine builders and museums.
Some of the aircraft that were in long term storage may not fare as well. Two of the P2V-7 Neptunes, a 1950’s era Navy Patrol Bomber, sold for less than $6,000 each which was far below the scrap value of the aircraft.

When Hawkins & Powers closed their doors an era of aviation ended. Many of their aircraft are now scattered across North America either to complete their life as aerial firefighters, on display in museums, or into the hands of private collectors. The parts cache that they maintained to support their air operations are now bringing new life to other warbirds.