No fatalities

Crew Abandons Aircraft Due to Technical Failure (41-24722)

China, ChinaFlight

On March 22, 1944, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 41-24722) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near China, China in flight. 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

A four-person crew successfully ejected from their aircraft after an unidentified technical failure occurred during cruise, resulting in a crash but no fatalities.

What happened

During the en route phase of flight, the aircraft experienced an unknown technical malfunction. The nature of the failure was not specified in the available records, but it rendered the airframe unsafe to continue operations. In response to the emergency, the crew initiated an evacuation procedure. All four members of the flight deck abandoned the machine using ejection seats or parachutes. The crew survived the incident, while the unmanned aircraft subsequently impacted the ground and crashed.

Findings

The specific root cause of the technical failure has not been detailed in the source material. The primary outcome was the successful survival of all personnel aboard, despite the total loss of the airframe.