ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46A-10-CU Commando 41-12363 Palmdale, CA
ASN logo
 

Status:
Date:Sunday 20 February 1944
Time:12:00
Type:Silhouette image of generic C46 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Curtiss C-46A-10-CU Commando
Operating for:Western Air Lines
Leased from:United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration: 41-12363
MSN: 26490
First flight: 1943
Engines: 2 Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 0
Total:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:32 km (20 mls) SE of Palmdale, CA (   United States of America)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Wickenburg Municipal Airport, AZ, United States of America
Destination airport:Long Beach Municipal Airport, CA (LGB/KLGB), United States of America
Narrative:
The C-46 took off from Wickenburg, AZ at 07:43 on a training flight. The crew were performing an instrument let down to Long Beach when it flew into the side of Pallet Mountain at an altitude of 7300 feet. The wreckage was found on February 26, 1944.

Classification:
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research (AAIR)
» Plane wreck is located (Nevada State Journal, 1944-02-27)
» Aircraft Wrecks in the Mountains and Deserts of the American West
» Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Vol. 2: July 1943-July 1944 / Anthony J. Mireles


Photos

Add your photo of this accident or aircraft

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 Wickenburg Municipal Airport, AZ to Long Beach Municipal Airport, CA as the crow flies is 491 km (307 miles).
Accident location: Exact; deduced from official accident report.

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.
languages: languages

Share

The Aviation Safety Network is an exclusive service provided by:
Quick Links:

CONNECT WITH US: FSF on social media FSF Facebook FSF Twitter FSF Youtube FSF LinkedIn FSF Instagram

©2024 Flight Safety Foundation

1920 Ballenger Av, 4th Fl.
Alexandria, Virginia 22314
www.FlightSafety.org