WIX Archives

What about this Strat' in a river in 1986!

Posted by Joe Scheil on Thu Apr 10, 2003 07:45:52 PM

In reply top Anyone seen this crash site in Oregon? posted by bdk on Thu Apr 10, 2003 06:41:17 PM



Accident description
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: 13 MAR 1975
Type: Boeing S.307B-1 Stratoliner
Operator: Royal Air Lao
Registration: XW-TFP
C/n: 1998
Year built: 1940
Crew: 0 fatalities / 2 on board
Passengers: 0 fatalities / 0 on board
Total: 0 fatalities / 2 on board
Location: ? (Laos)
Phase:
Nature: Cargo
Departure airport: Hong Kong-Kai Tak International Airport (HKG)
Destination airport: Vientiane
Remarks:
An aircraft was reported missing on this date while on a flight from Hong Kong to Vientiane. MacAlan Thompson reported that a Stratoliner was forced to carry out a controlled crash-landing in a river. Captain Jimmy Lieu and the copilot were held prisoner by the communist Pathet Lao for several months then released about May 1975. Other sources claim Curtiss C-46 XW-PMF (or HS-SKD), c/n reported 22561, was reported missing in the same period on the same flight. Since Stratoliner XW-TFP was seen in the Mekong river, near the Laos-Thailand border in 1986, this is probably the aircraft that "disappeared".

Question; Did anyone photograph the aircraft in the river, and is it still there?

Joe


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