No fatalities

Aircraft Abandoned In Flight With All Crew Surviving (41-24696)

Yankai, ChinaFlight

On January 31, 1944, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 41-24696) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Yankai, 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

During an en route flight, the crew encountered an unexpected situation and decided to bail out. The aircraft subsequently crashed and was destroyed, but all four members of the crew survived the incident.

What happened

While operating in the en route phase of flight, the crew faced an unforeseen operational challenge that necessitated immediate action. Assessing the situation, the flight team made the decision to abandon the airframe entirely. All four individuals on board executed a bailout procedure to ensure their safety.

Following the evacuation of the personnel, the aircraft continued its trajectory uncontrolled and ultimately impacted the ground. The impact resulted in the total destruction of the machine. Despite the severity of the crash and the loss of the vehicle, there were no fatalities. All four crew members survived the event.