Narrative:The Douglas Dakota III aircraft had just dropped its supplies from 700 feet during Operation Market Garden when it was met with intense anti-aircraft fire near Arnhem, the Netherlands. The tail unit, rudder, port aileron and engine, the starboard auxiliary fuel tank and all the gyro instruments were either damaged or put out of action, and one of the Army dispatchers was mortally wounded. The crew flew the crippled aircraft back to the British lines, through three more areas of enemy flak, where they sustained further serious damage, including a five foot hole in the starboard wing which caught fire, and complete electrical and communications failure. Once over the British lines, the pilots then made a successful belly-landing in the field.
Classification:
Shot down from the ground
Forced landing outside airport
Sources:
» The Douglas DC-1/DC-2/DC-3 - the first seventy years / J.M. Gradidge
»
Imperial War Musuem collection»
The Pegasus Archive
Photos
accident date:
19-09-1944type: Douglas Dakota III (DC-3)
registration: KG401
Map
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.