No fatalities

Aircraft crash due to technical failure with all crew surviving (42-96548)

Yunnanyi, ChinaFlight

On September 2, 1944, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 42-96548) 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: Unknown technical failure. 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 encountered severe technical issues en route, forcing the crew to abandon ship. The plane crashed and was destroyed, but all four occupants survived.

What happened

During an en route phase of flight, the operating crew reported significant technical difficulties with the airframe. Recognizing the severity of the situation, the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft immediately. All four members of the crew successfully bailed out before the machine lost control completely. The aircraft subsequently dove toward the terrain, impacting the ground and sustaining total destruction upon impact. Despite the catastrophic loss of the airframe, all four individuals were located alive following the crash.

Findings

The official investigation concluded that the incident was triggered by an unknown technical failure. No specific mechanical component or system malfunction could be definitively identified as the root cause based on the available evidence.

Probable cause

Unknown technical failure