ASN Aircraft accident Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando 44-78591 Beijing-Nanyuan Airport (NAY)
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Status:
Date:Friday 12 October 1945
Time:11:30
Type:Silhouette image of generic C46 model; specific model in this crash may look slightly different
Curtiss C-46F-1-CU Commando
Operator:United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration: 44-78591
MSN: 22414
First flight: 1945
Crew:Fatalities: 4 / Occupants: 4
Passengers:Fatalities: 55 / Occupants: 55
Total:Fatalities: 59 / Occupants: 59
Aircraft damage: Damaged beyond repair
Location:25 km (15.6 mls) WNW Beijing-Nanyuan Airport (NAY) (   China)
Phase: Approach (APR)
Nature:Military
Departure airport:Hankou, China
Destination airport:Beijing-Nanyuan Airport (NAY/ZBNY), China
Narrative:
The Curtiss Commando operated on flight from Hankou, now part of Wuhan, to Beijing. It carried 55 Chinese soldiers. Visibility near Beijing was poor due to an overcast of about 300 feet. Because of a lack of radio beacons near Beijing's Nanyuan Airport, the crew used a commercial broadcasting station as a navigational aid. The antenna was located some 25 km WNW of the field and the top was at a height of 1000 feet above airfield elevation. On approach the airplane struck the antenna and crashed.

Classification:

Collision with pole or wires
Controlled Flight Into Terrain (CFIT) - Mountain

Sources:
» Military aviation disasters : significant losses since 1908 / D. Gero, 1999


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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

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  • 626th loss
  • 99th fatal accident
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 China
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