Various artifacts missing from Air Force museum, audit shows

DAYTON, Ohio -- A 2002 audit of the world's oldest and largest military aviation museum found 1,000 artifacts were reported missing -- from NASA and Wright brothers technology to a variety of military weapons.

Among the missing items are three bombs, several guns, a lens from the Gemini 5 space mission and the wooden pattern used to cast the engine that enabled Wilbur and Orville Wright to achieve the first powered flight in 1903.

The audit of the U.S. Air Force Museum, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, concluded personnel "did not always effectively manage museum property," and cited former chief of collections, Scott A. Ferguson, as the person most responsible for the missing items.

Ferguson is under indictment in U.S. District Court, charged with selling an armored vehicle in 1999, allegedly with knowledge it had been stolen from the museum in 1996. His trial is set to begin Sept. 29.

His attorney, Larry Greger, declined to comment Sunday. Messages left at Dayton-area listings under the name Scott Ferguson were not immediately returned.

"It's quite obvious if you have a leak at that level, you could lose your shirt before you knew it," said retired Air Force Col. Richard L. Uppstrom, the museum's civilian director from 1985 to 1996.

The audit, conducted by the Wright-Patterson Area Audit Office, was obtained by the Dayton Daily News and reported in its Sunday editions.

Museum director Maj. Gen. Charles Metcalf said the number of items missing has been reduced to 510. But he acknowledged the number only includes items missing from active inventory; he said he doesn't know how many items may be missing from the total inventory.