No fatalities

Belly Landing Incident Resulting in Total Loss (41-24688)

Kunming, ChinaLanding (descent or approach)

On April 23, 1944, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 41-24688) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Kunming, China during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 2026-08-05Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft executed an uncontrolled belly landing for unknown reasons, sustaining damage that rendered it beyond repair. All four crew members on board survived the incident without injury.

What happened

The flight concluded with an abnormal landing event when the aircraft touched down on its underside rather than its main wheels. This belly landing resulted in significant structural damage to the airframe. The impact was severe enough that the aircraft was declared a total loss and deemed beyond repair. Despite the extent of the damage to the machine, the safety of the personnel on board was preserved. All four crew members exited the wreckage unharmed.

Findings

The specific mechanical or operational factors leading to this event were not identified in the available records. The incident is classified as having occurred for an unknown reason, with no definitive contributing factors or conclusions documented in the source material.