ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando 42-96721 Arunachal Pradesh
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Status:
Date:Saturday 6 January 1945
Type:Silhouette image of generic C46 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando
Operator:United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration: 42-96721
MSN: 30383
First flight: 1944
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 9
Total:Fatalities: 13 / Occupants: 13
Aircraft damage: Destroyed
Aircraft fate: Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Location:Arunachal Pradesh (   India)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Kunming-Wujiaba Airfield (KMG/ZPPP), China
Destination airport:Chabua Air Force Station, India
Narrative:
The aircraft went missing on a flight from Kunming to Chabua. Weather en route was poor with thunderstorms and severe icing.
The wreckage of the aircraft was found on a snow-covered mountain side in Arunachal Pradesh in India in January 2022.

Classification:

Sources:
» Missing World War II aircraft found in India after 77 years (khaleejtimes.com, 24 Jan. 2022)
» MACR
» Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research (AAIR)


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Map
This map shows the airport of departure and the intended destination of the flight. The line between the airports does not display the exact flight path.
Distance from Kunming-Wujiaba Airfield to Chabua Air Force Station as the crow flies is 804 km (502 miles).

This information is not presented as the Flight Safety Foundation or the Aviation Safety Network’s opinion as to the cause of the accident. It is preliminary and is based on the facts as they are known at this time.
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Curtiss C-46

  • 3341 built
  • 280th loss
  • 55th fatal accident
  • 2nd worst accident (at the time)
  • 51st worst accident (currently)
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 India
  • 5th worst accident (at the time)
  • 55th worst accident (currently)
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