ASN Aircraft accident Douglas C-53D Skytrooper (DC-3) 42-68846 Interlaken
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Status:
Date:Tuesday 19 November 1946
Type:Silhouette image of generic DC3 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Douglas C-53D Skytrooper (DC-3)
Operator:United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration: 42-68846
MSN: 11773
First flight: 1943
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92
Crew:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 7
Total:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 11
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:19 km (11.9 mls) E of Interlaken (   Switzerland)
Phase: En route (ENR)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:München-Riem Airport (MUC/EDDM), Germany
Destination airport:Istres-Le Tubé Airport (LFMI), France
Narrative:
The C-53 transport plane crash-landed at the 8000 feet-level of the Gauli Glacier. The survivors had to stay on the glacier for five nights before they were rescued.

Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» Die drei Finder behalten den Fundort geheim (Der Bund, 6-8-2012)
» Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research (AAIR)
» Spokane Daily Chronicle - Nov 23, 1946
» Journal de Geneve (Nov. 20, 1946)
» Hitze legt Flugzeugwrack im Gletscher frei (blick.ch, 12 August 2018)


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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 München-Riem Airport to Istres-Le Tubé Airport as the crow flies is 728 km (455 miles).
Accident location: Approximate; accuracy within a few kilometers.

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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