The 1946 United States Air Force C-47 crash, known in China as the April 8 Incident, was the crash of US Army Air Force C-47B-1-DL (registration 43–16360) from

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese dialects, Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), Postal Romanization, alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a Direct-administered municipalities of China, municipality in Southwes ...

Yan'an Yan'an (; ), alternatively spelled as Yenan is a prefecture-level city in the Shaanbei region of Shaanxi province, China, bordering Shanxi to the east and Gansu to the west. It administers several counties, including Zhidan (formerly Bao'an ...

that struck a mountain in

Shaanxi Shaanxi (alternatively Shensi, see #Name, § Name) is a landlocked Provinces of China, province of China. Officially part of Northwest China, it borders the province-level divisions of Shanxi (NE, E), Henan (E), Hubei (SE), Chongqing (S), Sichu ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

, killing all four crew members and 13 passengers, including several top

Communist Chinese , anthem = "The Internationale" , seats1_title = National People's Congress (13th) , seats1 = , seats2_title = NPC Standing Committee , seats2 = , flag = Flag of the Chinese Communist Pa ...

leaders.

Background

Following the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, the

Kuomintang The Kuomintang (KMT), also referred to as the Guomindang (GMD), the Nationalist Party of China (NPC) or the Chinese Nationalist Party (CNP), is a major political party in the Republic of China, initially on the Chinese mainland and in Tai ...

government of China and the

Chinese Communist Party The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), officially the Communist Party of China (CPC), is the founding and One-party state, sole ruling party of the China, People's Republic of China (PRC). Under the leadership of Mao Zedong, the CCP emerged victoriou ...

(CCP) commenced negotiations for a political settlement to form a joint government. During WWII, the US Air Force set up operations at Chongqing, including the

Flying Tigers The First American Volunteer Group (AVG) of the Republic of China Air Force, nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was formed to help oppose the Japanese invasion of China. Operating in 1941–1942, it was composed of pilots from the United States Ar ...

units that fought Japanese forces in China. The US military remained in Chongqing after the end of the war, and US government agents were instrumental in organizing negotiations between the Kuomintang and CCP. In order to facilitate these negotiations, the US Air Force flew CCP representatives between the Communist headquarters at Yan'an in Shaanxi province to Chongqing.

Accident

The C-47 was stationed at

Peishiyi Airfield Chongqing Baishiyi Airport (), or Baishiyi Air Base, is a People's Liberation Army Air Force base and formerly the main civil airport serving Chongqing, China, located about northwest of the city center. It reverted to military use after the op ...

near Chongqing. Sergeant Dallas Wise, a twenty-year-old member of the United States

Fourteenth Air Force The Fourteenth Air Force (14 AF; Air Forces Strategic) was a numbered air force of the United States Air Force Space Command (AFSPC). It was headquartered at Vandenberg Air Force Base, California. The command was responsible for the organizatio ...

, stationed out of Chongqing, served as first officer and radio operator. The C-47 flight that took off from Chongqing en route to Yan'an had thirteen passengers - all members of the CCP delegation at Chongqing - and the four US military personnel who operated the flight. Among those on the flight were notable Communist Party leaders, including General

Ye Ting Ye Ting () (September 10, 1896 – April 8, 1946), born in Huiyang, Guangdong, was a Chinese military leader who played a key role in the Northern Expedition to reunify China after the 1911 Revolution. After serving with the Kuomintang, Ye ...

; General Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Qin Bangxian, also known as Bo Gu; former-President of the Central Party School

Deng Fa Deng Yuanzhao or Deng Fa () (March 7, 1906 – April 8, 1946) was an early leader of the Chinese Communist Party. He was born in Yuncheng District, Yunfu, Guangdong, and participated in the Canton–Hong Kong strike and the Guangzhou Uprising ...

; and Communist Party Central Committee Member

Wang Ruofei Wang Ruofei (11 October 1896 – 8 April 1946) was a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party. He studied in France in the 1920s, where he joined the Communist Party, was trained in the Soviet Union, served five years in prison on his re ...

. Accompanying Ye Ting on the flight were his wife, daughter, son and nanny. According to Wise's father, the aircrafted landed at

Xi'an Xi'an ( , ; ; Chinese: ), frequently spelled as Xian and also known by #Name, other names, is the list of capitals in China, capital of Shaanxi, Shaanxi Province. A Sub-provincial division#Sub-provincial municipalities, sub-provincial city o ...

to refuel before ascending once more to fly to Yan'an. While starting to descend the aircraft crashed into the Heicha Mountains (Mt. Black Tea), located northeast of Yan'an in Shaanxi Province, killing all 17 people on boardThe remains of the 4 US Air Force crew are buried in a joint grave at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Lemay, Missouri.find a grave memorial
/ref> The crash forced the CCP to reorganize their negotiating delegation, becoming known, in China, as the "April 8 Incident."

References

{{Aviation accidents and incidents in China Accidents and incidents involving United States Air Force aircraft Accidents and incidents involving the Douglas C-47 Skytrain Aviation accidents and incidents in China History of the Chinese Communist Party Aviation accidents and incidents in 1946 1946 in China China–United States relations