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| Date: | Thursday 7 December 1944 |
| Time: | c. 16:00 |
| Type: |  Boeing B-29 Superfortress |
| Owner/operator: | USAAF |
| Registration: | 42-65213 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 9 / Occupants: 17 |
| Other fatalities: | 1 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Wutongqiao District, Leshan, Sichuan Province -
 China
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Military |
| Departure airport: | |
The Boeing B-29 Superfortress #42-65213, nicknamed Carlalani, was flying from Qionglai Airbase in Sichuan, China to Piardoba, India when it started to pick up ice at 4500 feet. Yet it continued to climb to an altitude of 10600 feet. By this time the aircraft had picked up so much ice that it could climb no further. The crew tried to make a turn to return to base, at which time the airplane went into a flat spin and disintegrated in midair.
Some sources claimed that the entire crew perished. In actuality, however, nine occupants had bailed out. One of them did not survive because the parachute failed to open properly.
The aircraft fell into a paddy field and exploded in flames. The blast destroyed a villager's home, killing a 10-year-old boy.
A monument to this disaster has been built near the crash site.
Sources:
https://user.xmission.com/~tmathews/b29/56years/56years-4412.html
http://www.xxbcm.com/info/1021/19035.htm
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/49590390/ernest-l-chapman
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Nov-2024 08:25 | RDV | Added |
| 24-Nov-2024 14:53 | RDV | Updated [Time, Total fatalities, Other fatalities, Location, Source, Narrative, ] |
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