Crash of a Douglas C-47 near Sadiya: 3 killed
Date & Time:
Oct 7, 1944 at 1200 LT
Operator:
Registration:
101
Survivors:
No
Schedule:
Dinjan – Suifu
MSN:
20803
YOM:
1944
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
Other fatalities:
Total fatalities:
3
Circumstances:
Few minutes after take off from Dinjan Airport, the crew encountered heavy rain falls due to stormy weather. The captain decided to return to Dinjan but lost his orientation due to poor visibility. He reduced his altitude, most probably to maintain a visual contact with the ground when the aircraft hit tree tops and crashed in a dense wooded area located some 30 km west of Sadiya. All three crew members were killed.
Probable cause:
According to investigations, both wings separated in flight and were found few hundred yards from the main wreckage. At the time of the accident, the aircraft was not on the prescribed flight path and encountered severe thunderstorm activity before crashing into a wooded area.
