Pacific Wrecks - R4D-6 Bureau Number 39100

Missing In Action (MIA)

Prisoners Of War (POW)

Unexploded Ordnance (UXO)

Chronology

R4D-6 Bureau Number 39100

USMC
MAW-1
MAG-25
VMJ-253

Pilot  unknown (died)
Co-Pilot  unknown (died)
Passenger  unknown (died)
Passenger  unknown (died)
Passenger  unknown (died)
Passenger  unknown (died)
Crashed March 31, 1946

Aircraft History
Built by Douglas. Constructors Number 16048/32796. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as C-47B-25-DK Skytrain serial number 44-76464. Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as R4D-6 bureau number 39100.

Wartime History
Assigned to the U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) to Marine Air Wing 1 (MAW-1), Marine Air Group 25 (MAG-25), Marine Utility Squadron 253 (VMJ-253). No known nickname, nose art or squadron number.

Mission History
On March 31, 1946 took off from Touhu Airfield on New Caledonia in bad weather and crashed into a nearby hill. All six aboard were killed in the crash.

Wreckage
This aircraft crashed near Touho village roughly 300km from Nouméa on the north of the east coast of New Caledonia.

Nicolas Duprey adds:
"The civil aviation about all of planes wrecks (but the coordinate of the wrecks are wrong and it's impossible to be on a wreck with only the indications of this list), and it talk about this R4D, they give the BuNo 39100. A rumor states that the plane carried a lot of money, and after the crash a New Caledonia guy stole all the money, perhap it is only a legend?"

References
USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-47B-25-DK Skytrain 44-76464
"76464 (MSN 16048/32796) to US Navy as R4D-7 BuNo 39100"
Navy Serial Number Search Results - R4D-6 39100
"MSN 16048/32796 ex-USAAF 44-76464. Redesignated C-47J in 1962. Crashed in bad weather in mountains on New Caledonia Mar 31, 1946. 6 killed."

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Last Updated
April 28, 2023

R4D

Interviews & Oral Histories