Date:	Thursday 16 November 1944
Time:	13:30
Type:	Douglas C-47B-15-DK (DC-3)
Owner/operator:	United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration:	43-49365
MSN:	26626/15181
Year of manufacture:	1944
Engine model:	Pratt & Whitney R-1830-90C
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 7 / Occupants: 12
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	Accident
Location:	8 km S of Placitas, NM -   United States of America
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Wichita (unknown airport), KS
Destination airport:	Long Beach Municipal Airport, CA (LGB/KLGB)

Narrative:
The Douglas C-47 was destroyed when it struck terrain near Placitas, NM. The airplane had departed Wichita, KS on a cargo flight to Long Beach, CA and Los Angeles, CA. Poor weather en route to Long Beach forced the crew to divert to Albuquerque. The pilot descended in order to maintain visual contact with the ground. The flight encountered snow showers and strong vertical winds. It struck the crest of a mountain and crashed. Survivors were rescued after three days.

Fatal Army Air Forces Aviation Accidents in the United States, 1941-1945, Vol. 3: August 1944-December 1945 / Anthony J. Mireles

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