Date:	Saturday 10 February 1945
Time:	14:00
Type:	Douglas C-47A-DL (DC-3)
Owner/operator:	United States Army Air Force - USAAF
Registration:	43-30761
MSN:	13912
Year of manufacture:	1943
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 12
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed, written off
Category:	UI
Location:	W off Batan Island -   Philippines
Phase:	Unknown
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	Tacloban Airport (TAC/RPVA)
Destination airport:	Angeles City-Clark Field (CRK/RPMK)

Narrative:
A USAAF Douglas C-47A departed Leyte Island at 07:00 on a flight to Clark Field. Near Manila Bay the flight ran into rough weather as it flew through clouds for about 30 minutes. Still over water the crew became lost. The radio operated radioed several messages but did receive any response. Meanwhile, the cabin was prepared for a ditching. At 12:10 the crew spotted two small islands and prepared to land on an airstrip there.
A USAAF P-51 Mustang pilot was circling in the area because another P-51 had gone down in the water near the islands and the pilot knew the island was occupied by Japanese forces.
He decided to prevent the C-47 to land on the occupied island and opened fire, hitting the right hand engine of the C-47. The P-51 returned and fired at the left hand engine. The airplane was flying low, stalled and hit the water about 300 yards from the shore. All aboard got out into three rafts. They paddled out to sea to avoid machine gun and rifle fire from the shore. They were joined by the P-51 pilot that had been shot down earlier. The next morning all were rescued by a Catalina.

The Douglas DC-1/DC-2/DC-3 - the first seventy years / J.M. Gradidge
Among Heroes: Tales of the Jungle Skippers / Philip Brinson

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