No fatalities

Aircraft crash into river following takeoff (44-34546)

Gimhae, South KoreaTakeoff (climb)

On January 13, 1953, a Douglas A-26 Invader (registration 44-34546) operated by United States Air Force - USAF (since 1947) was involved in an aviation accident near Gimhae, South Korea during takeoff. 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 2026-06-12Data APIEditorial standards

An aircraft crashed into a river approximately 3 kilometers from the airfield during its initial climb, resulting in no fatalities among the crew.

What happened

During the early stages of flight, an aircraft entered a descent and struck a river located roughly 3 km from the departure airfield. The incident occurred while the plane was in its climbing phase, shortly after departing from the runway. While the wreckage of the aircraft has not been recovered, all three crew members on board were successfully rescued following the impact.

Findings

At this time, the specific reasons for the crash remain unknown. Investigators have not yet determined the exact sequence of events that led to the loss of the aircraft in the river.