3 fatalities

Disappearance of aircraft during night mission (44-34374)

South Korea, South KoreaFlight

On July 3, 1951, a Douglas A-26 Invader (registration 44-34374) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near South Korea, South Korea in flight. 3 people were killed. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The cause of the disappearance remains undetermined due to the lack of recovered wreckage or debris. 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 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft vanished during a night intruder mission after its final radio communication was recorded.

What happened

During a scheduled night intruder mission, an unidentified aircraft ceased all communications with ground control. The last recorded radio contact from the crew occurred at 21:03 local time. Following this transmission, the aircraft disappeared from radar and tracking systems.

Extensive search efforts were conducted to locate the missing plane; however, no wreckage or debris was ever recovered. There was no evidence found to indicate the location of the crash site, and the status of the crew remains unknown. The mission ended with no survivors and no trace of the aircraft's final position.

Findings

No official conclusion regarding the disappearance has been reached, as the absence of wreckage prevented a physical investigation of the site or the aircraft's condition at the time of loss.

Probable cause

The cause of the disappearance remains undetermined due to the lack of recovered wreckage or debris.