1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown
The 1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown was an incident on 23 July 1954, when a Cathay Pacific Airways C-54 Skymaster airliner was shot down by People's Liberation Army Air Force fighter aircraft. The event occurred off the coast of Hainan Island, where the plane was en route from Bangkok to Hong Kong, killing 10 of 19 passengers and crew on board.
A Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 similar to the aircraft shot down | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 23 July 1954 |
| Summary | A civilian C-54 airliner attacked by two PLAAF La-11 fighters and ditched into the sea. |
| Site | South China Sea, off the coast of Hainan Island, People's Republic of China. 18°N 110°E |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas C-54A-10-DC Skymaster |
| Aircraft name | Avro Anson 1 "Silver Wings" |
| Operator | Cathay Pacific Airways |
| Registration | VR-HEU, (ex-USAAF 42-72205) |
| Flight origin | Bangkok International Airport, Bangkok, Thailand |
| Destination | Kai Tak Airport, Hong Kong |
| Passengers | 13 |
| Crew | 6 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Survivors | 9 |
Although the four-engine propeller-driven Douglas (registered VR-HEU) was a C-54 Skymaster, the incident is known as "the DC-4 shootdown" because the C-54 is the military version of the Douglas DC-4. The crew of six was headed by British captain Phil Blown. In all, one flight crew member, two cabin crew members and seven of the thirteen passengers were killed in the attack and subsequent crash of the airliner.