THAI AIR ACCIDENTS The listing below records almost 1,000 accidents to aircraft in Thailand, and also to Thai civil & military aircraft overseas. Corrections and additions would be very welcome to [email protected]. Principal sources are:- ‘Aerial Nationalism – A History of Aviation in Thailand’ Edward Young (1995) ‘Bangkok Post’ 1946 to date ‘Vietnam Air Losses’ Chris Hobson (2001) Aviation Safety Network http://aviation-safety.net/index.php plus Sid Nanson, Cheryl Baumgartner, and many other individuals Note that the precise locations of crashes of USAF aircraft 1963-75 vary between different sources. Co-ordinates in [ ] are from US official records, but often differ significantly from locations described in other sources. Date Type Operator Serial Location & Details 22Dec29 Boripatra Siamese AF Crashed at Khao Polad, near Burmese border, en route Delhi 06Dec31 Fokker F.VIIb KLM PH-AFO Overhead cockpit hatch not closed, stalled and crashed on take-off from Don Mueang; 6 killed 22Jun33 Puss Moth Aerial Transport Co HS-PAA Crashed after flying into storm at Kumphawapi, en route from Khon Kaen to Udorn 07Feb38 Martin 139WSM Siamese AF Seriously damaged in landing accident 18Mar38 Curtiss Hawk (II or III) Siamese AF Crashed at Don Mueang whilst practising for air show 03Dec38 DH.86 Imperial AW G-ADCN dbf whilst parked at Bangkok 22Mar39 Curtis Hawk 75N Siamese AF Crashed when lost control during high-speed test dive 17Sep39 Blenheim Mk.I RAF - 62 Sqdn L1339 Swung onto soft ground & undercarriage ripped off on landing at Trang whilst en route to Tengah; no injuries 09Dec40 Vought Corsair Thai AF Possibly shot down 10Dec40 Vought Corsair Thai AF Shot down 12Dec40 Curtiss Hawk III Thai AF Shot down 13Dec40 Curtis Hawk 75N Thai AF Destroyed on the ground at Ubon during French bombing raid 14Dec40 Curtis Hawk 75N & Hawk III Thai AF Collided on take off from Ubon 10Jan41 Mitsubishi Ki-30 Thai AF Shot down by French near Siem Reap 29Sep41 Blenheim Mk.I RAF - 27 Sqdn L8526 Forcelanded in bad weather into paddy field, overshot into river & w/o 08Dec41 6 x Curtiss Hawk III Thai AF Shot down 08Jan42 Curtiss P-40 AVG Shot down by ground fire near Mae Sot (pilot was Charley Mott) 24Mar42 Curtiss P-40 AVG P8115 Hit by gunfire over Chiang Mai 7 crashed near Mok Cham Pae (pilot was McGarry) 11-Oct-14 1 Date Type Operator Serial Location & Details (Note: wreck currently in ‘Tango Squadron’ hangar at Chiang Mai) 24Mar42 Curtiss P-40 AVG P9196 Shot down by ground fire E of Lamphun [18°34.691N, 99°01.191E] (pilot was Newkirk) late 1942 Mitsubishi Ki-21 Thai AF Crashed into mountain during severe weather whilst returning from a reconnaissance mission over Kengtung 02Feb43 7 x Vought Corsair Thai AF Destroyed on ground at Kengtung by USAAF P-40’s 02Mar43 Mitsubishi Ki-21 Thai AF Destroyed on ground at Kengtung 08Apr44 Curtiss Hawk III Thai AF Shot down by RAF Beaufighter near Chiang Mai 07Oct44 2 x Liberator B.VI RAF – 159 Sqdn BZ978 / W & BZ992 / E Just before midnight on 06-Oct-44, 16 Liberators from 159 Sqdn took off for a low level raid on the Liberator B.VI RAF – 355 Sqdn ?? railway just north of Bangkok. They were joined by 8 more from 355 and 356 Sqdns. As they arrived just after dawn on 07-Oct-44, they were attacked by Ki-43 fighters from the Japanese 50th and 64th Sentai. The Japanese made two claims, one by Sgt A. Kato and a second one by Cpls Yamaguchi, Ikeda, R. Yamamoto and W. Niwa. According to Kato the bomber he was firing at suddenly swerved and hit a second one, both going down; both Liberator crews killed (Pilots Wt Offs L.A. Barr and J. McKinnon). Details of loss of 355 Sqdn Liberator unknown 05Nov44 P-38 / F-5 Lightning USAAF - 35th PRS, G Flight 43-28615 Lost on a mission from Yunnanyi, China to Uttaradit, Chiang Mai & Wai Lai Kam Bridge (pilot was Franklin B. McKinney) [MACR 10057] (Note: Quote from RTAF report “On Nov 5, 1944 at about 1340 hours during a rain storm, there was a plane with 2 engines and 2 tails flying through the storm. Apparently, the plane was hit by lightning strike. People on ground heard an explosion and saw a burning plane went down and crashed. The location was at a wooden area in Ban Mae Gua, Sobprab Sub-district, Lampang province. Subsequent investigation revealed the plane as a P-38, "NUMBER 811," with white star in dark blue circle marking. A skull was also found in the wreck”. 43-28615 was designated by 35th PRS as #811) 11Nov44 3 x Nakajima Ki-27 Thai AF Shot down by USAAF P-51’s near Chiang Mai 11Nov44 P-51 Mustang USAAF - 51st FG, 25th FS 44-10812 Lost over Lampang, presumably in dogfight with a Thai AF Ki-27 ‘Nate’ (pilot was Henry Minco) [MACR 10064] (Note: first of only 2 claims by Thai AF pilots against USAAF aircraft in WW2) 21Nov44 B-24J Liberator USAAF - 7th BG, 492nd BS 44-40811 Crashed at ‘Geang Luang’ after engine caught fire, on mission from Madhaiganj, India; 11 crew killed [MACR 10050] 07Dec44 P-51 Mustang USAAF - 51st FG, 25th FS Lost near Lampang, reason unknown (pilot was Thomas Ankrim) (Note: circumstantial evidence indicates that a USAAF P-51 crashed in the Lampang area with pilot Thomas Ankrim killed, but USAAF chronology recorded no action over Thailand on that date. 2nd Lt Thomas R Ankrim is buried in Manila American Cemetery and Memorial, Philippines with date of death recorded as 07Dec44) 1944 P-38 Lightning USAAF Shot down at Wiang Haeng, Chiang Mai. (Note: Remains investigated by RTAFM / JPAC team 2004) 27Nov44 Nakajima Ki-43 Thai AF Shot down by B-29 over Petchburi 27Nov44 Boeing B-29 USAAF – 40th BG, 45th BS 42-24452 Hit by RTAF fighters & crashed in Burma on the way home; 11 MIA (Carl E. Blackwell, Vern H. ‘Devil May Care’ Hunnell, John G. Gettler, William H. Webster, Robert J. Fancher, William J. Gabriel, Robert A. McCormick, L.D.E. Powers, Bernard Roth, William T. Stone & Carson E. Cole) [MACR 10003] (Note: second of only 2 claims by Thai pilots against USAAF aircraft in WW2) Mar45 Fairchild 24 Thai AF Shot down by USAAF P-51 11-Oct-14 2 Date Type Operator Serial Location & Details 09Apr45 5 x Curtiss Hawk II Thai AF Destroyed on ground at Don Mueang by USAAF P-51’s 09Apr45 Mitsubishi Ki-30 Thai AF Destroyed on ground at Don Mueang by USAAF P-51’s 09Apr45 3 x P-51D Mustang USAAF – 2nd AC, 2nd FS 44-15302 + 2 Three P-51’s shot down whilst strafing Don Mueang on a mission from Cox’s Bazaar, India. 44-15302 crashed 3 miles W of Chao Phraya river; pilot Capt. Albert Abraham bailed out [MACR 13788] (Note: parts of 44-15302 recovered 2010 by RTAF Museum) 12Jul45 P-38L Lightning USAAF – 60th FS, 33rd FG 44-25116 Hit by small arms fire whilst on a reconnaissance mission and crashed approx. 12 miles NW of Lampang airfield [18°25'N, 99°25'E]. Pilot 1st Lt. Theodore H. Demezas bailed out [MACR 14710] (Note: Lt. Buntao Punsri operated a flak gun wagon at Lampang Station and claimed to have shot down a P-38. The pilot, Demezas, bailed out successfully and, as RTAF was living a ‘double-life’ during the war, the gunner tried to locate the pilot to render some help. However, the RTA was the first to reach the scene and captured the pilot. Lt. Col. Sarit Tanarat, the army commander, sent Demezas to the Thai underground, Thosd Panthumasen, at a sugar factory near Koh Ka. Apparently, Demezas was sent back to his squadron sometime after the incident) 24/25Jul45 Nakajima E8N1 & Aichi E13A-1 Thai Navy Destroyed on ground at Chalong Bay, Phuket by RN Hellcats during ‘Operation Livery’ whilst minesweeping off Phuket. Hellcats were from 804 Sqdn (HMS Ameer) and 896 Sqdn (HMS Empress) 01Sep45 Stinson L-5B USAAF – OSS Det.404 42-99633 Landed with a second L-5 (piloted by Perry C. Emmons) at Kanchanaburi strip (football field of POW camp) en route Bangkok because of bad weather & low fuel; re-fueled with Japanese fuel & crashed on subsequent take-off when undercarriage sheared off & fuselage broke up after hitting potholes on the strip; pilot Staff Sergeant Ralph M. Gamble uninjured & evacuated as a passenger in the second L-5 which took off successfully. USAAF Accident Report 03Sep45 Stinson L-5B USAAF – OSS Det.404 42-99635 On a flight (three L-5’s, and one L-1, 41-18961) from Rangoon to Bangkok; landed at Moulmein to refuel, then took off in search of the missing L-1, escorting it back to Moulmein (from where it returned to Rangoon); re-fueled and continued towards Bangkok; crashed near Kanchanaburi when ran out of fuel after becoming lost in very bad weather; pilot Staff Sergeant Alexander H. Epperson bailed out & uninjured. USAAF Accident Report 03Sep45 Stinson L-5B USAAF – OSS Det.404 44-16887 On a flight (three L-5’s, and one L-1, 41-18961) from Rangoon to Bangkok; landed at Moulmein to refuel, then took off in search of the missing L-1, escorting it back to Moulmein (from where it returned to Rangoon); re-fueled and continued towards Bangkok; crashed near Kanchanaburi when ran out of fuel after becoming lost in very bad weather; pilot Staff Sergeant Thad A. Ferrell bailed out & uninjured.