The Worst Airplane of WW2 - Brewster Buccaneer SB2A

Underpowered, overweight, slow, and clunky. All these flaws make the Brewster SB2A Buccaneer one of the most dysfunctional aircraft of World War 2. The plane had a controversial development from the start, and these roots condemned it to failure after failure. Deficient performance and handling once it entered service never allowed the SB2A to redeem itself.

The plane was conceived as a single-engine light bomber that could hold two crew members - a pilot and a gunner. Built by Brewster Aeronautical Corporation, the objective was to use it as a carrier and scout dive bomber. But the company's work on the aircraft was deemed mediocre at best; ongoing problems with the workforce and overall management proved unsuitable for producing American fighters from the ground up.

Although the Buccaneer was American made, it was poorly received by the U.S. Navy, Air Force, and the Marine Corps. Overseas, opinions differed little. French, English, Dutch, and Australian pilots despised the Buccaneer.

The aircraft saw minimal use during the first years of the war and was quickly ditched by armed forces worldwide. Sometimes, just after leaving the production, the new planes went straight to the scrapyard or the target practice fields.