No fatalities

Aircraft crash into sea near Qingdao with all occupants rescued (39535)

Qingdao, ChinaFlight

On April 30, 1948, a Curtiss C-46 Commando (registration 39535) operated by United States Marine Corps (USMC) was involved in an aviation accident near Qingdao, 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

An aircraft crashed into the sea approximately five kilometers off the coast of Qingdao. All people on board were successfully rescued, and the wreckage was recovered nine hours later.

What happened

The incident involved an aircraft that came down in the water roughly 5 km off the coast of Qingdao. The crash occurred under circumstances that have not been fully detailed in available records. Following the impact, emergency response teams located the survivors and ensured that all occupants were rescued from the sea. The recovery operation for the airframe took place shortly after the initial rescue efforts. The aircraft was brought back to shore approximately nine hours after the accident occurred. Upon inspection, the damage sustained by the airframe was determined to be too severe for repair, resulting in the aircraft being declared a total loss and written off.