1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown
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. 19°12′N 110°42′E / 19.2°N 110.7°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 | 5 |
| Fatalities | 10 |
| Survivors | 8 |
The 1954 Cathay Pacific Douglas DC-4 shootdown was an incident on 23 July 1954, when a Cathay Pacific Airways DC-4/C-54 airliner was shot down by Chinese 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 18 passengers and crew on board. The crew of five was headed by British captain Phil Blown. In all, one flight crew member, one cabin crew member and eight of the thirteen passengers were killed in the attack and subsequent crash of the airliner.
Although the aircraft was originally manufactured for the USAAF as a Douglas C-54 Skymaster, it was subsequently converted to civilian airliner standard, and sold firstly to KLM, and later to Cathay Pacific. Hence the incident is known as "the DC-4 shootdown", to acknowledge that the aircraft was no longer a C-54, and that it was not being used for military purposes.