1945 — Sep 28, USAAF C-46 crash 20 miles southeast of Chihkiang (US base), China —  20

Compiled 12-28-2023 by Wayne Blanchard for upload to: http://www.usdeadlyevents.com/

–20  Aviation Safety Network. USAAF C-46 damaged beyond repair, 20 mls SE of Chihkiang

–20  Baugher, Joe. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188). 8-7-2023 revision.

–20  Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. “Crash of a C-46D-5-CU…Chinkiang: 20 Killed.”

Narrative Information

 

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 121:

“Date:                          Friday 28 September 1945

“Type:                         Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando

“Operator:                   United States Army Air Force – USAAF

“Registration:              42-101183

“MSN:                         30638

….

“Fatalities: 20 / Occupants:

“Aircraft damage:       Damaged beyond repair

“Location:                   32 km (20 mls) SE of Chihkiang (China)

“Phase:                        Unknown (UNK)

“Nature:                      Military

“Departure airport:      ?

“Destination airport:   ?

“Narrative:                  Crashed.

 

Baugher: “….Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando….101183 (1st CCS) crashed 20 mi SE of Chihkiang, China Sep 28, 1945. 20 killed.”

 

Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives: 

“Date & Time:                         Sep 28, 1945

….

“Registration:              42-101183

….

“Crew on board;         3

“Crew fatalities:          3

“Pax on board:                        17

“Pax fatalities:             17

“Other fatalities:         0

“Total fatalities:          20

“Circumstances:          Crashed in unknown circumstances about 32 km southeast of Chinkiang,

killing all 20 occupants.”

 

(“Crash of a C-46D-5-CU Commando in Chinkiang: 20 Killed.”)

 

Blanchard note 1: May well have been fling back to or out of Chihkiang. According to Wikipedia: “During World War II the airport…was used by the United States Army Air Forces Fourteenth Air Force as part of the China Defensive Campaign (1942-1945). Its primary use by the Americans was as an airborne photo-reconnaissance and as a transport airfield.”[1]

 

Blanchard note 2: Was not a combat mission. World War II was over. V-J Day was August 14, 1945. (US Dept. of Defense.)

 

Sources

 

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database, 1945, p. 121. USAAF C-46D Commando crashed/damaged beyond repair, 20 mls SE of Chihkiang. China, 28 September 1945. Accessed 12-28-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19450928-0

 

Baugher, Joseph F. 1942 USAAF Serial Numbers (42-91974 to 42-110188). 8-7-2023 revision. Accessed 12-28-2023 at: https://www.joebaugher.com/usaf_serials/1942_5.html

 

Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. “Crash of a C-46D-5-CU Commando in Chinkiang: 20 Killed.” Accessed 12-28-2023 at:

https://www.baaa-acro.com/crash/crash-curtiss-c-46d-5-cu-commando-chinkiang-20-killed

 

U.S. Department of Defense. Victory Over Japan Day. End of WWII. Accessed 12-28-2023 at: https://www.defense.gov/Multimedia/Experience/VJ-Day/

 

Wikipedia. “Huaihua Zhijiang Airport.” 6-11-2023 edit. Accessed 12-28-2023 at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Huaihua_Zhijiang_Airport

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Cites: Maurer. Air Force Combat Units of World War II. Maxwell Air Force Base, Alabama: Office of Air Force History, 1983.