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| USMC MAW-1 Headquarters    USMC December 6, 1950 |
Pilot Captain Paul Noel (survived) Co-Pilot TSgt Dave Schwitzer (survived) Crew Sgt Keith MacLeod (survived) Damaged December 1, 1950 Aircraft History Built by Douglas. Constructors Number unknown. Delivered to the U.S. Army Air Force (USAAF) as C-47B-10-DK Skytrain serial number 42-4903? (last digit unknown). Delivered to the U.S. Navy (USN) as R4D-6 bureau number 50767. Wartime History Assigned to the United States Marine Corps (USMC), 1st Marine Air Wing (MAW-1), Headquarters. No known nickname or nose art. The plane had a unpainted aluminium finish with a black upper nose and stripe rear of the cockpit. The fuselage had "United States Marine Corps" in black stenciled block letters with the U.S. star and bar insignia. Tail code unknown. Mission History On December 1, 1950 took off from Yonpo Airfield piloted by Captain Paul Noel transporting a cargo of artillery shells to Hagaru-ri Airfield near the Chosin Reservoir. After unloading, this aircraft planned to evacuate wounded soldiers. The runway was only a rough emergency strip. This R4D-6 made a hard landing at Hagaru-ri Airfield that caused their cargo to shift inside the fuselage while one of the propellers dug into the ground, causing the aircraft to skew to the side and the left landing gear leg to collapse. Artillery rounds slid forward inside the fuselage, bending the bulkhead into the cockpit. Fate of the Crew The crew were unhurt and managed to escape. Afterwards, they were flown out aboard a U.S. Air Force (USAF) C-47 Skytrain and returned to duty. The cargo of artillery rounds was unloaded and used by Marine artillery. Wreckage On December 6, 1950 the damaged R4D-6 was set on fire to destroy it and prevent it from falling into enemy hands. The fire destroyed the forward fuselage but the tail remains intact. Ultimate fate unknown. References USAF Serial Number Search Results - C-47B-10-DK Skytrain 43-4903? Navy Serial Number Search Results - R4D-6 50767 "50767 crashed on landing Dec 1, 1950 at Hagaru-Ri, North Korea with heavy load of ammo and to evacuate wounded. Crew survived." ChosinReservoir.com - Crash Landing Of Marine R4D #50767 via Wayback Machine January 21, 2022 "[After the crash] An infantryman, who Capt. Noel thought looked like an apparition due to his dirty, bearded face, long parka, and heavy winter clothing, came running up to the aircraft to see if they were injured. When he discovered all were OK, he asked if he could have the aircraft's clock. Capt. Noel told him he could have the whole damn aircraft, as far as he was concerned." Contribute Information Are you a relative or associated with any person mentioned? Do you have photos or additional information to add? Last Updated September 4, 2023 |
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