Douglas Dakota III (DC-3) – KG401

Incident Overview

Date: Tuesday 19 September 1944

Aircraft Type: Douglas Dakota III (DC-3)

Owner/operator: Royal Air Force – RAF

Registration Number: KG401

Location: near Kessel – ÿ Belgium

Phase of Flight: Unknown

Status: Destroyed, written off

Casualties: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 4

Component Affected: Tail unit, rudder, port aileron, engine, starboard auxiliary fuel tank, gyro instruments, and the entire aircraft.Tail unit, rudder, port aileron, engine, starboard auxiliary fuel tank, gyro instruments, and the entire aircraft.

Description

The Douglas Dakota III aircraft had just dropped its supplies from 700 feet during Operation Market Garden when it was met with intense anti-aircraft fire near Arnhem, the Netherlands. The tail unit, rudder, port aileron and engine, the starboard auxiliary fuel tank and all the gyro instruments were either damaged or put out of action, and one of the Army dispatchers was mortally wounded. The crew flew the crippled aircraft back to the British lines, through three more areas of enemy flak, where they sustained further serious damage, including a five foot hole in the starboard wing which caught fire, and complete electrical and communications failure. Once over the British lines, the pilots then made a successful belly-landing in the field.

Source of Information

http://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205090449, http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/war_48sqn.htmhttp://www.iwm.org.uk/collections/item/object/205090449, http://www.pegasusarchive.org/arnhem/war_48sqn.htm