6 fatalities

Loss of Aircraft in Western Pacific During Papua New Guinea to Indonesia Flight (44-77353)

Pacific Ocean, WorldFlight

On June 13, 1945, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 44-77353) operated by United States Army Air Forces - USAAF (1941-1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Pacific Ocean, World in flight. 6 people were killed. 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 military transport aircraft disappeared without trace in the western Pacific Ocean while en route from Papua New Guinea to Indonesia, resulting in the loss of all six crew members.

What happened

The incident involved a military aircraft operating a scheduled flight between Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. During this transit across the western Pacific Ocean, the aircraft was lost without trace. No distress signal or wreckage was immediately located, leading to the classification of the event as a disappearance.

The flight crew consisted of six individuals, including officers and non-commissioned personnel. The specific roles included a Second Lieutenant serving as pilot-in-command, a First Lieutenant, two other Second Lieutenants, a Technical Sergeant, and a Sergeant. All six members of the crew were lost in the incident.