Historical Note: The text within this post is an excerpt from the original Army Air Corps or USAAF accident report that was filed shortly after the aircraft disappeared. These archival reports were typically the Missing Air Crew Report (MACR) or Report of Major Accident. The reports frequently stated the crash site was believed to be “unrecoverable” or “all but impossible to recover”, due to the very remote and rugged terrain where the aircraft crashed. Employing the services of local tribal guides, I was able to reach and document this crash site. Without exception, all the sites were very difficult to reach, often involving many days of trekking from the nearest road and multiple river crossings.
This aircraft was reported as missing in flight on 07 May 1943 while enroute from Yangkai, China to Chabua, India. There was no radio contact with the aircraft. Last report in Aug 1944 lists both the aircraft and crew still unaccounted for. The aircraft was assigned to the Air Transport Command, 1st Ferry Group, 3rd Ferry Squadron. Dead: 6.
- Pilot: 1st Lt. Anthony Donabedian
- Co-Pilot: 2nd Lt. Raymond C. Ziolkowski
- Navigator: 1st Lt. Paul F. Heck
- Radio Operator: Sgt. Raymond Piot
- Crew Chief: Sgt. George L. Beeves, Jr.
- Asst. Crew Chief: Sgt. Lyndal E. Daniel
View the Crashed Aircraft Site Report for C-87 #41-23669.
C-87 #41-23669 Expedition Photo Gallery
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