Civil Air Transport Flight 106

Civil Air Transport Flight 106 was a Curtiss C-46D Commando, registration number B-908 (C/N 32950),^[1] that crashed on 20 June 1964, near the village of Shenkang, western Taiwan, killing all 57 people aboard. Flight 106 was operated by Civil Air Transport, a front company operated by the CIA,^[2] en route from Taichung Airport to Taipei-Sung Shan Airport.

Civil Air Transport Flight 106

B-908, the aircraft involved in the accident, photographed at Haneda Airport, Tokyo
Accident
Date	20 June 1964 (1964-06-20)
Summary	Engine failure and loss of control (Disputed)
Site	Shenkang, Taiwan
Aircraft
Aircraft type	Curtiss C-46D Commando
Operator	Civil Air Transport
Registration	B-908
Flight origin	Taichung Airport (TXG/RCLG)
Destination	Taipei-Sung Shan Airport (TSA/RCSS)
Occupants	57
Passengers	52
Crew	5
Fatalities	57
Survivors	0

The accident

Shortly after take-off from Taichung, the number one engine oversped. The pilot began a left turn to perform an emergency landing at the airport or a nearby military air base. While turning, the pilot lost control and the aircraft crashed in a left wing low and a steep nose down attitude.

The aircraft

The flight was being operated by a C-46D, which had accumulated 19,488 operational hours from 1944 to 1964.

Causes

The Taiwanese CAA concluded that the primary cause of the accident was the failure of the #1 engine, compounded by pilot error during attempts at recovery while returning to Taichung Airport (later renamed Shuinan Airport and now closed) or Taichung Air Base.^[3][4]

However, this conclusion was disputed by Civil Air Transport, in favor of a theory of passenger hijacking.^[5][6]

Passengers

Among the dead were 20 Americans, one Briton, and members of the Malaysian delegation to the 11th Asia-Pacific Film Festival, including businessman Loke Wan Tho and his wife Mavis.^[7][3]