 B-908, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed at Haneda Airport, Tokyo | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 20 June 1964 |
| Summary | Engine failure and loss of control (Disputed) |
| Site | Shenkang, Taiwan |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Curtiss C-46D Commando |
| Operator | Civil Air Transport |
| Registration | B-908 |
| Flight origin | Taichung Airport (TXG/RCLG) |
| Destination | Taipei-Sung Shan Airport (TSA/RCSS) |
| Occupants | 57 |
| Passengers | 52 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 57 |
| Survivors | 0 |
Civil Air Transport Flight 106 was a Curtiss C-46D Commando, registration number B-908 (C/N 32950),[1] that crashed on 20 June 1964, near the village of Shenkang, western Taiwan, killing all 57 people aboard. Flight 106 was operated by Civil Air Transport, a front company operated by the CIA,[2] en route from Taichung Airport to Taipei-Sung Shan Airport.
The accident
[edit]Shortly after take-off from Taichung, the number one engine oversped. The pilot began a left turn to perform an emergency landing at the airport or a nearby military air base. While turning, the pilot lost control and the aircraft crashed in a left wing low and a steep nose down attitude.
The aircraft
[edit]The flight was being operated by a C-46D, which had accumulated 19,488 operational hours from 1944 to 1964.
Causes
[edit]The Taiwanese CAA concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the failure of the #1 engine, compounded by pilot error during attempts at recovery while returning to Taichung Airport (later renamed Shuinan Airport and now closed) or Taichung Air Base.[3][4]
However, this conclusion was disputed by Civil Air Transport, in favor of a theory of passenger hijacking.[5][6]
Passengers
[edit]Among the dead were 20 Americans, one Briton, and members of the Malaysian delegation to the 11th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, including businessman Loke Wan Tho and his wife Mavis.[7][3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ci – Cz" Airplane Crash Info.
- ^ "Two CIA Prisoners in China, 1952–73 — Central Intelligence Agency". cia.gov. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007.
- ^ a b 1964 Airplane Crash Info.
- ^ "ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.16 - Volume III, Circular 82-AN/69 (34-37)" (PDF). ICAO.
- ^ Aircraft Accident Investigation Report, 21 August 1964
- ^ B-908 CRASH OPERATIONS REPORT
- ^ "Villagers see blast as 57 die in crash". The Montreal Gazette. 22 June 1964. Retrieved 1 June 2011.
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