What happened
During a scheduled flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong traversing the China Sea, an aircraft was targeted and attacked by two Lavochkin La-7 fighters belonging to the Chinese Air Force. The engagement caused fires in both the number one and number four engines. Following the attack, the radio operator notified air traffic control at Hong Kong-Kai Tak Airport of the emergency situation.
In an effort to reach land for an emergency landing, the pilot began a descent. As the aircraft reached 2,000 feet, the right aileron was severed from the plane. Due to the critical damage, the captain attempted to ditch the aircraft in the sea near Sanya, located on the southern coast of Hainan Island. Following the crash, two USAF Douglas AD-4 Skyraider aircraft were sent to search for survivors but were also intercepted and attacked by the same Chinese fighters. Eventually, a USN Albatross reached the site and managed to rescue eight individuals, consisting of six passengers and two crew members. The incident resulted in 10 fatalities.
Findings
The aircraft, identified as a Cathay Pacific airliner, was shot down by Chinese fighter jets. It appears the pilots of the Lavochkin La-7 aircraft misidentified the civilian airliner as a military plane belonging to Nationalist Chinese forces.