34 fatalities

Aircraft crash on mountain summit west of Jorhat (42-107386)

Karoi, IndiaFlight

On February 4, 1945, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 42-107386) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Karoi, India in flight. 34 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: Technical problems during cruise led to an in-flight fire, causing loss of control and a subsequent crash into a mountain summit. 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 crashed into a mountain peak at 2,000 meters altitude after catching fire during cruise flight west of Jorhat, resulting in the loss of all personnel except one passenger.

What happened

While maintaining a cruising altitude approximately 55 miles west of Jorhat, the crew encountered technical difficulties that led to an in-flight fire. The aircraft subsequently lost control and impacted the summit of a mountain at an elevation of 2,000 meters. The crash forces and subsequent post-crash fire destroyed the airframe. Among the occupants, only one passenger survived the incident. The remaining personnel, comprising the flight crew and other passengers, did not survive.

Findings

The sequence of events indicates that technical problems initiated a fire during the cruise phase of the flight. This event rendered the aircraft uncontrollable, leading to a high-altitude impact on a mountainous terrain. The destruction of the aircraft was attributed to both the kinetic energy of the impact and the intensity of the post-crash fire.

Probable cause

Technical problems during cruise led to an in-flight fire, causing loss of control and a subsequent crash into a mountain summit.