China National Aviation Corporation - CNAC

Douglas DC-3

Shortly after takeoff from Shanghai-Longhua Airport, while in initial climb, an engine failed. The aircraft stalled and crashed in an industrial area located near the airport. While both pilots were seriously injured, three people on the ground were killed.

Douglas DC-3

Enroute, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and crashed in the region of Zunyi. The wreckage was found in an isolated area two weeks later. All 19 occupants have been killed.

Curtiss C-46 Commando

The descent to Qingdao Airport was performed in poor weather conditions with low clouds and low visibility. On final approach, while too low, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and crashed, killing all 43 occupants. According to the US Authorities, the cloud base was very low and the weather conditions at the time of the accident were below minima published by the US Navy. Due to low visibility, the crew was unable to distinguish the mountain and was completing the approach at a too low altitude without any visual contact with the ground.

Curtiss C-46 Commando

The descent to Shanghai-Longhua Airport was performed in poor visibility due to thick fog. A CNAC DC-3 already crashed in similar conditions two hours earlier. Apparently in an attempt to establish a visual contact with the ground, the crew reduced his altitude when the aircraft crashed in a prairie located few km short of runway. A crew member and thirty passengers were killed while five other occupants were seriously injured.

Douglas DC-3

The crew started the approach to Kiangwan Airport in poor visibility due to thick fog. Apparently in an attempt to establish a visual contact with the ground, the crew reduced his altitude when the aircraft hit the slope of a hill few km short of runway threshold. Both pilots and 17 passengers were killed while 11 other people were injured.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The captain put the plane on autopilot. In order to change the radio frequency, he went back to the radio operator's station. While there, the right engine lost power, which caused the plane to spin in that direction. The spinning aircraft caused so much centrifugal force that the captain could not get back to the cockpit. The plane crashed and burned. Source: www.cnac.org

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Chongqing to Kunming with a load of silk. En route, it appears he lost his orientation and continued to the east part of Yunnan. Eventually, the aircraft hit the slope of a mountain and crashed some 160 km east of Kunming. All three crew members were killed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The crew was performing a supply mission to Chinese soldiers based at the boundary post number 37, near the border between Burma and China. After a low pass to drop food, the pilot attempted to gain height but was unable to retract the gear. During steep climb, the undercarriage hit tree tops, the aircraft stalled and crashed in a huge explosion about 2 km from the Chinese border. Four crew members were killed while two others were injured.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

While overflying the Dali Lake, an engine failed. The aircraft lost height, hit obstacles and eventually crashed on a cemetery overhanging the city of Dali. All three crew members were killed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

It is believed that the aircraft crashed in the Patkai Mountains, north of Burma, while performing a cargo flight from North India to China. No trace of the aircraft nor the crew was found.

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

The flight was initiated in heavy rain falls. After take off, while climbing, both engines lost power and the aircraft lost height before crashing on Mt Digboi located in the Naga mountain range, few miles from the Dinjan Airport. The wreckage was spotted a day later and all three crew members were killed.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

En route to Chongqing, the captain was informed that the destination airport was closed to traffic due to poor weather conditions. He decided to divert to Guilin Airport but this one was closed as well as all others in the region. The crew flew over the mountainous region for several hours to burn fuel. Eventually, when the fuel reserve was low, the captain decided to attempt an emergency landing on a mountain slope. He placed the aircraft in a slightly nose up position and hit the mountain at a speed of 80 knots. The aircraft slid for several yards before coming to rest. A passenger, a US Marine Officer, was killed, while all 13 other occupants were unhurt.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

While approaching Kunming-Wujiaba Airport, the aircraft descended from 16,000 to 6,000 feet when it went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in flames few km from the airport. All six occupants were killed. Source: www.cnac.org

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

During takeoff run in Dinjan, aircraft failed to rotate, overrun, came to rest into trees in flames. All three crew were uninjured while the aircraft was destroyed by fire.

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

The crew was performing a cargo flight with a load of bank notes. On final approach to Kunming, the visibility was low due to heavy rain falls and a cloud layer at 100 feet. The aircraft hit the ground hundreds yards short of runway, broke into several pieces and burned. The copilot was injured while both other occupants were killed. Thousands of bank notes were found on a large area.

Douglas C-47 Skytrain (DC-3)

The crew was completing a cargo flight to Kunming-Wujiaba Airport. On final approach by night and in poor weather conditions, the crew was unable to localize the airport due to heavy rain falls. In addition to a high workload in the cockpit due to the preceding factors, crew encountered technical problems with the landing gear that could not be deployed properly. The captain decided to abort the landing procedure, increased the engine power and completed a low pass over the airport before attempting a second approach. In a certain confusion, he followed the wrong heading and continued bound to the west. Few minutes later, the aircraft hit a mountain slope near the airport and was destroyed by impact forces. All three crew members were killed.

Douglas C-53 Skytrooper (DC-3)

The crew was performing a cargo flight from Kunming to Dinjan with a load of tungsten on board. Due to the presence of Japanese forces along the normal route, the crew decided to divert and to follow another route passing over the Pianma Pass. In low visibility due to snow falls, the captain reduced his altitude to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a wooded area located near the Pianma Pass, at the border between China and Burma. All three crew were killed. Some debris of the aircraft were found by hikers in October 1996.

Douglas DC-2

At least one person was killed when the aircraft crashed near Zhengzhou in unknown circumstances.

Douglas DC-2

En route, while flying by night in poor weather conditions (stormy weather), the aircraft christened 'Kangting' crashed on a mountain slope near Taohsien. All three crew members were killed. Crew: Joy Foon Thom, pilot, Paul Chinn, copilot, C. N. Pau, radio operator.

Douglas DC-2

En route, the crew spotted a group of Japanese fighters and decided to divert quickly to the small Changyi airfield. After landing, the twin engine aircraft christened 'Chungking' was fired and destroyed by these fighters. The captain, the stewardess and seven passengers were killed while all other occupants were injured.

Sikorsky S-38

One hour after his departure from Shanghai, while overflying the Bay of Hangzhou, the crew encountered foggy conditions and informed his base he was returning to Shanghai. A brief message was transmitted with two audible words 'turning back'. Shortly later, the seaplane crashed in the Bay of Hangzhou, south of Shanghai. Some debris were found 10 days later and the dead body of the captain was found four months later. The passenger was a Japanese citizen. Crew: Robert H. Gast, pilot, James Frink, pilot, Ivan Carlson, radio operator.

Sikorsky S-38

On approach to Hangzhou, the crew reduced his altitude due to low visibility caused by foggy conditions. As the Captain was unable to locate the landing area in the Hangzhou Bay, he initiated a go around procedure. During the last turn, while flying too low, the float plane impacted a hill and crashed. All 11 occupants were injured and the aircraft was destroyed.