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Civil Air Transport Flight 106

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Civil Air Transport Flight 106
B-908, the aircraft involved in the accident, at Haneda Airport
Accident
Date20 June 1964 (1964-06-20)
SummaryEngine failure and loss of control (Disputed)
SiteShenkang, Taiwan
Aircraft
Aircraft typeCurtiss C-46D Commando
OperatorCivil Air Transport
RegistrationB-908
Flight originTaichung Airport (TXG/RCLG)
DestinationTaipei-Sung Shan Airport (TSA/RCSS)
Occupants57
Passengers52
Crew5
Fatalities57
Survivors0

Civil Air Transport Flight 106 was a Curtiss C-46D Commando, registration number B-908 (C/N 32950),[1] that was operated by Civil Air Transport, which was a front company operated by the CIA.[2] On 20 June 1964, the aircraft crashed near the village of Shenkang, western Taiwan, killing all 57 people aboard.

The accident

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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. But while turning, the pilot lost control and the aircraft crashed in a left wing low and a steep nose down attitude.

The aircraft

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The flight was being operated by a C-46D, which had accumulated 19,488 operational hours from 1944 to 1964.

Causes

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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, who seems to favour instead a theory of hijacking by a passenger.[5][6]

Passengers

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Among the dead were 20 Americans, one Briton, and members of the Malaysian delegation to the 11th Film Festival in Asia, including businessman Loke Wan Tho and his wife Mavis.[7][3]

References

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  1. ^ "Ci – Cz" Airplane Crash Info.
  2. ^ "Two CIA Prisoners in China, 1952–73 — Central Intelligence Agency". cia.gov. Archived from the original on 13 June 2007.
  3. ^ a b 1964 Airplane Crash Info.
  4. ^ "ICAO Aircraft Accident Digest No.16 - Volume III, Circular 82-AN/69 (34-37)" (PDF). ICAO.
  5. ^ Aircraft Accident Investigation Report, 21 August 1964
  6. ^ B-908 CRASH OPERATIONS REPORT
  7. ^ "Villagers see blast as 57 die in crash". The Montreal Gazette. 22 June 1964. Retrieved 1 June 2011.