No fatalities

Aircraft Abandoned in Mountainous Terrain During Enroute Flight (42-61005)

Yunnanyi, ChinaFlight

On March 25, 1945, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 42-61005) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Yunnanyi, China in flight. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: An unexpected in-flight situation, potentially involving an engine failure, forced the crew to abandon the aircraft. 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 was forced to be abandoned after an unexpected enroute incident, crashing in a mountainous area. All crew members survived the accident, though the airframe was lost.

What happened

During an enroute phase of flight, the crew encountered an unexpected operational situation that necessitated immediate action. The specific nature of the anomaly is not definitively recorded in the available data, though it may have involved an engine failure or similar mechanical issue. Due to the severity of the situation, the crew was forced to abandon the aircraft. The airframe subsequently impacted a mountainous area and was destroyed.

Findings

The investigation into this event confirmed that while the aircraft was lost, there were no fatalities. All individuals on board survived the crash. The primary contributing factor was the unexpected in-flight condition that made continued flight impossible, leading to the emergency abandonment of the machine.

Probable cause

An unexpected in-flight situation, potentially involving an engine failure, forced the crew to abandon the aircraft.