WORST Single Day in Early Commercial Aviation | CNAC flight 147, 140, 48 & 115

This air crash investigation follows the events of China National Aviation Corporation (CNAC) flights 147, 140, 48 and 115 on 25 December 1946. This day became known to the CNAC pilots as 'Black Christmas'. During this day, four aircraft found themselves circling Shanghai with little fuel and almost zero visibility beneath them. One by one they attempted to land leading to disaster. These events became known as one of the worst single days in commercial aviation history.
** Flight 147, Captain Michiels was flying a Curtiss C46 (Commando) but a C47 was used in this video as it provided a better model to simulate the incident. As there wasn't a high detail C46 to use the lack of detail may have caused a distraction from this very important and interesting event.
Sources:
www.cnac.org/
www.cnac.org/blackchristmas02...
www.nationalww2museum.org/abo...
www.smithsonianmag.com/air-sp...

[@nigelbond4056]

It’s easy to forget just how dangerous the early days of commercial aviation was. I’d never heard of these disasters before but certainly won’t forget them now 😳

[@RedHotMessResell]

Yeah and then to think just a couple decades later, we were already putting people on the moon. We really did all these crazy things long before we had the safety of all these different sensors and computers that give such accurate and quick readings. It’s kind of astonishing how we went so long in aviation without all the technology we have now.

[@bogdangabrielonete3467]

Just imagine being the 4th pilot... minutes earlier you were on the radio with 3 other planes, and in quick succession all three go down, and you wonder now if you will be next... thank the heavens at least he made a safe landing. RIP to all lost

[@xYuki91x]

Gripping story! Imagine being one of the pilots still in the air after witnessing 3 colleagues go down... must have been horrifying 😵

[@_KRose]

Never heard of these tragedies before! Thanks for the video! The early days of air travel truly were just a "let's try this and hope it works" time, weren't they. Yeesh 😰

[@CuriousPilot90]

We do take for granted the navigation and approach aids we have now! Failing that, GPS will do!

[@josh2961]

32 crashes in the previous 3 years! Just with a single airline. They were truly different days!

[@sabrarogers9023]

Definitely

[@azyanziyad1291]

4 Aircrafts Crashing in a Single Day at a Same Place....... Damn Man This is Crazy

[@bradsanders407]

Well 3 but yeah

[@ryanlight1013]

That’s the Chinese for ya

[@koharumi1]

​@@ryanlight1013bruh they were European or American pilots

[@cuscoothriyas5163]

​​@@ryanlight1013 This was before china became the shithole we know today

[@MrStian78]

@@ryanlight1013watch the video before you comment dumb dumb 🤡

[@tonylam9548]

This is a good example of what we call Tombstone Technology in aviation. Those high intensity lights and runway improvements were not installed months earlier for when they were needed, because everyone were waiting for enough crashes and tombstones to justify spending a bundle on such improvements. 3/4 century later, things are still basically the same.

[@pwhnckexstflajizdryvombqug9042]

Every industry has tombstone technology. There is really no form of safety technology that isn't tombstone. Why? Because if it isn't broken don't fix it. Unless accidents happen as a result of something (or a lack of something), no one changes anything because the risk of causing accidents by installing new features is as great, or greater than the risk of accidents happening without those features. The number of accidents that have been the result of well-meaning new features is about as high as the number of accidents caused by failing to install new features. You might think it would be better if aviation preemptively installed new safety features before things go wrong, but believe it or not they have time and time again. It's not uncommon for there to be failures or miscalculations that cause these features to be the cause of accidents. Every safety lesson is written in blood. If it's not written in blood, it's not about safety. Obviously in this situation, you could make the argument that they "were waiting" for enough tombstones to justify installing those features. But doesn't that happen with every form of technology? Aren't we all just "waiting" for enough tombstones to ban aviation entirely? because there is a number of tombstones that would cause us to do that. There's a threshold of tombstones we are "waiting" for, that would cause us to add a third pilot to every plane, to reduce pilot error. On the other hand there's a threshold of tombstones we are "waiting" for that would cause us to remove pilots entirely, to be replaced by computers to reduce pilot error. As there is a threshold that would cause us to simplify flying and remove the computerised elements, to reduce technical errors. We don't do those things because we are still waiting. That doesn't mean we won't have another "foreseeable" day like Black Christmas, it just means there's only so much that can be done, and we accept that risk every day. Almost every accident is foreseeable. The reason we do nothing to prevent them, is because they isn't enough money in the world to do so, or the only way to prevent them is to ban aviation entirely, (which is a bit over the top). The question isn't "should we spend the money to reduce the chance of this accident" it is "what technology should we be spending the only money we have on, because there are so many possible things that could go wrong." There are still airports in the world that could be safer. There are still places in the world were aviation conditions are as bad as it was when the Black Christmas event happened. Why don't we do anything to stop it?

[@sarahmacintosh6449]

What a fantastic video to wake up to on Christmas morning here in Sydney. A very well told story about tragic events in the almost unimaginable world of early aviation. Thank you! Happy holidays, everyone!

[@CuriousPilot90]

Happy Holidays Sarah!

[@sarahfrith1984]

Never heard of this incident, thank you for educating me. Hope you have a good Christmas 🎄

[@CuriousPilot90]

You too, thank you.

[@marklease9717]

Amazing! I have never heard of this before. Thanks so much for your research and video.

[@johnkern7075]

Oh! MY! Reminds me when I worked at our airport as a Janitor. Big Sky 1318 was on final approach to the airport. They kept asking for the runway lights to be turned up to full power. They were on full power. 1318 kept saying they could not see them. Finally the guy on duty asked me to go outside and see if I could see the runway lights. I did and came back in and told him Yes! I can see the lights on and the ODALS flashing. Finally Big Sky 1318 said they could see the runway. They landed no problems. I'll never forget that!! Clear night no clouds or fog.

[@resistanceremembered]

This is a very detailed video on a little known incident! I had heard of this incident in the past but didn’t know any details so I definitely learned a lot from this video. Very hard to imagine the stress and pressure the pilots were feeling. Thanks for sharing and merry Christmas!

[@CuriousPilot90]

Thank you and Merry Christmas.

[@rilmar2137]

It's incredible just how far aviation has come since then.

[@josh2961]

What a fantastic video! The way the video built up to the end (I won’t ruin it) I was so full of suspense and dread and felt a wave of emotion. It was an eye opening view of what these American and Chinese aviators were going through post WW2. Really amazing. Thank you for this and I hope you have the best Christmas.

[@CuriousPilot90]

Thank you Josh, all the best for Christmas and the new year.

[@matpk]

​@@CuriousPilot90Chi Na people dying in chongking😂

[@kmg501]

Wow, this is stunning. I have to assume that a memorial exists due to this horrific event, but I wonder if a museum has been set up for it as it is a truly dark day in aviation that should forever be remembered and honored.

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

probably not Shanghai and all it's aviation in those days was very much controlled by the Kuomintang government, which is still very much an enemy to the communists who now control Shanghai and are the responsible government for any act of memorialization....

[@Dilley_G45]

They don't remember because they weren't commies. The legitimate Chinese government got abandoned after ww2 by the same Americans who spent years fighting Japan and then abandoned them to their other enemies, the commies. 4 years of civil war and they had to flee to Formosa and founded Taiwan. In 1971 the Americans did the final betrayal and kicked them .out of UN and replaced them by communist rebel government in Peking. While having a cold.war with the soviet union, another communist country. Thanks to ultra evil Kissinger

[@unclepauly3205]

Wtf would they have a museum for? A few scattered parts and a few paragraphs explaining what happened?

[@stanislavkostarnov2157]

@@unclepauly3205 you could always make a Museum effectively of the Safety bureau and it's functionaries... an individual accident memorial needs only be a pretext for it.

[@slehar]

Great telling of a sad story

[@mapupuce1]

My parents told me that we flew a DC3 from Brussels, Belgium to Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. I was a mere baby then, and don't remember a thing about it, but discovered the Airline tickets in a photo album recently. Seeing this documentary sent me down quite a trip!! I only discovered this channel a few months ago but I subscribed immediately.

[@CuriousPilot90]

What a trip! I’m glad you found the channel. 😁

[@hasithmalika]

Thank you for the Christmas gift. Merry Christmas!

[@CuriousPilot90]

Merry Christmas. 😊

[@josh2961]

Thank you for a fantastic year of videos.

[@CuriousPilot90]

I appreciate that, thank you Josh. Merry Christmas!

[@josh2961]

Keep the change, you filthy animal.

[@user-es4iu7ls2o]

Profoundly tragic. Thank you for this upload. 💔

[@mattwilliams3456]

I’d certainly not heard of this incident. Excellent video and a new sub.

[@burntsider8457]

A troubling story well told.

[@David-qs9yl]

Such an interesting story.

[@CuriousPilot90]

I think so too!

[@THIRV]

Fabulous presentation, thankyou. So very educational as I like many others knew nothing of this entire disaster. Such a cautionary tale of the perils of early passenger aviation, the challenges the pilots faced, and the sad loss of so many lives.

[@liesl7617]

Love that you randomly popped up on my suggested videos! Great video, and a new sub!

[@CuriousPilot90]

The algorithm works! 😁 Thank you for the sub and comment.

[@thedevilinthecircuit1414]

WOW. Great story. Point of order: some of the pilots were ex-US Army Air Force. The US Air Force (split from the Army) did not exist until 1947.

[@CuriousPilot90]

Good point! Thank you for pointing that out. I forget that other airforces where later to separate, we’re still considered the 100 year experiment in the RAF (although it has been 105 years now!)

[@ColinGriffin-tl6oi]

Wow that was so nuts.😢

[@desdicadoric]

Very interesting, I’d never heard of this, what a crazy day

[@joesarkic406]

Your the only video I could find to talk about this

[@traceykelly2603]

Sad but interesting. We have come a long way.

[@davesmith5656]

Now whenever I get a flight cancelled due to weather, I cheer the pilots who said, "No way we're flying in that soup!""

[@johnmoloney5296]

Happy Christmas to you and yours

[@CuriousPilot90]

And to you! Thank you.

[@glenwoodriverresidentsgrou136]

Well presented. Very informative.

[@kylesulcebarger8399]

The great Si-Fi author Arthur C. Clarke wrote a non-fiction book about his experience in the development of radar approach called "Glidepath".

[@juliusnepos6013]

Wow

[@user-yi3yx2fn7g]

This story is absolutely WILD! And as per yush, people have to die for improvements to happen.

[@jameswebb4593]

Not generally known was that many Chinese pilots were involved in flying the Hump during WW2.

[@jeffgann6613]

Well researched and presented objectively. Sad story for sure.

[@Remaining1]

really sick video bro

[@richiepoo]

I’m from the US and never heard of this. Thank you for bringing light to this and giving the victims and families the attention they deserve albeit years later. Everytime I watch a youtube video on air planes and accidents you have to keep in mind that’s someone’s family member. I have a fear of flying as well, I have a flight scheduled next week first time i’ve flown in almost 14 years. I am in awe of these machines but still and quite scared to fly even if it’s “safer” than driving. If i flow the plane myself I doubt I would be scared but something about relying on other humans for my safety with gravity in mind just really creeps me out that and the forces involved in an air crash.

[@CuriousPilot90]

That's true. I'm not sure if this helps or not but in the US alone, 45,000 flights happen per day with over 16,000,000 per year. The number of serious incidents for commercial airlines in recent years are so minimal it is basically at 0%.

[@richiepoo]

Thats what my statement said technically it's safer, but tell that to my monkey brain. I just have an inherent fear of flying for whatever reason. I think it's due to none of it being in my control beyond buying the ticket and deciding if I board or not. I have not had pleasant flying experiences either. Delays, delays, security checks cause i'm bald with a beard, that and my last flight we hit terrible terrible turbulence. My friend next to me who is around the same age and is not afraid of flying and was giving me shit about it was holding my hand saying "jesus christ rich your right we gonna die." I know turbulence is common and a plane can handle a lot but it's just not for me man. I'll drive any day of the week. I just have not had luck flying and there not being issues.@@CuriousPilot90

[@davidbaldwin1591]

I really like your story telling.

[@DannoAviation]

What an astonishing story.. and an impeccable account. Very well put together. Nowadays it’s a major shock when any aircraft goes down, let alone 4 in one day/night… awful.

[@GunnH74]

This was absolutely crazy. Never heard of this before...

[@victoriakalberg9590]

Jeez that's insane!

[@auntbarbara5576]

Thank you.

[@PrettyVacant45988]

Brill. Keep up your awesome work. U r appreciated. Your devoted follower. :}

[@dankrauz1036]

Thanks!

[@CuriousPilot90]

Very kind of you, thank you. Merry Christmas!

[@aluxtaiwan2691]

Their's a very interesting story about CNAC. Who has operated "Douglas DC-2 1/2"(A DC-3 with DC-2 right wing) during the Japanese invasion.

[@the_phaistos_disk_solution]

Bravo!

[@davesmith5656]

Cover the story of a DC-3 that landed itself. IIRC the AF pilots bailed out for lack of fuel. The plane was later found in a field, intact, as if it had been parked there. Happened somewhere in the U.S. Midwest, I think. There was a photo of the DC-3, but sadly, nobody was there with an i-Phone to video the landing (joke).

[@Praxiszooms]

what a horrific event :( but wow is it safe today! We came a long way.

[@whiskey6string]

A pilot named Wing? That's like and ice cream man named Cone.

[@Fe7Ace]

Wing is an aviation sounding name but also a Chinese sounding name, I wonder if he was an American who choose to live in China and changed his name. My family name changed when they immigrated to better fit in and reduce prejudice, it's a common time to change it.

[@curbyourshi1056]

Can everyone please stop crashing?! Excellent video, by the way.

[@Gio-kl9np]

Great aviators!

[@Charger1917]

Imagine being the pilot of CNAC 147 and seeing the other planes crashing down one after another, I’d be terrified!

[@SinaLaJuanaLewis]

very tragic 😢

[@ELECTRICMOTOCROSSMACHINE]

We must not forget our history, or we'll be sure to repeat.

[@MiaMichele9696]

✈️ ✈️ ✈️ Comment for the algorithm

[@CuriousPilot90]

😎 Thanks

[@chipsawdust5816]

We tend to forget so many regulations have been written in someone's blood.

[@lancraft]

Hard to believe.

[@RedHotMessResell]

Can you imagine having grass and gravel runways these days? 😂😂 oh my goodness.

[@ebenwaterman5858]

The tragedy is that they took off.

[@user-pv6vi6xq6d]

these are the stories, I like to see, as I have no idea of crashes before 1952. not that I like people dying but what may have been happening just after the war.

[@hanscattini468]

There’s no room for Assumptions in Aviation! You need to be Specific.

[@raptorrixx99-wv2hl]

Cannot believe 147 survived... i thought for sure it would crash...

[@lucakrokrowinkel9576]

bro the balls on the third guy that crashed. two dudes just crashed in front of you and you dont have the fuel to divert. that must be a gut punch

[@andrewdewit4711]

Excellent. And thanks for citing your sources, in sharp contrast to Harvard University President Gay and other shameless serial plagiarists.

[@Dovietail]

Fly at night under these circumstances? Big ol' NOPE! I'm shocked anyone survived any of these crashes!

[@Splicer]

👍🏼

[@hanscattini468]

I didn’t know about this incident…. Lessons learnt the hard way I guess , loss of life should never be an option…. If a proper risk assessment was undertaken, then lives would have been saved .. I believe.

[@slagarcrue85]

Dam I thought the year 1985 was bad for aviation.

[@SimonWallwork]

Tombstone technology.

[@stclairstclair]

My mother was only 4 months old

[@ck2music712]

Does anyone know what the Chinese symbol on these planes is or what it means? I'm just a dumb ol' American, but I'm sure that I've seen it before...

[@vincent412l7]

At 1:33 ? "Chung" (center), the first word in "chung kuo" 'China'.

[@rickyelvis3215]

plenty of leg room 🤣😂🤣

[@mapupuce1]

Me too, ROFLMHO

[@kamakaziozzie3038]

I didn’t know the Communists recognized Christmas. Thank you for educating me on that fact🙏

[@peterj5106]

I doubt that the pilot said "over & out" as that phrase doesn't exist in radio communications. Over means you're finished speaking & are awaiting a response. Out means you've finished the conversation & don't need to communicate anymore.

[@josh2961]

What you say is true, but I’m pretty sure I’ve seen a million movies and documentaries where the US troops say ‘over and out’. I thought it was just something that the Americans do.

[@peterj5106]

@@josh2961. I've seen it said in plenty of films also but it's a contradiction as you're saying you are awaiting a response but that the conversation is finished! lol.

[@crazyralph6386]

@@peterj5106they actually got it right in Kubricks The Shining though! 😂

[@RedHotMessResell]

I do gotta say. Tommy Wing had quite the appropriate name for an airline pilot.

[@bayouflier6641]

How does an aircraft that is out of fuel burst into flames?

[@willlubetkin3804]

Probably still had fuel vapor in the tanks.

[@CuriousPilot90]

One of the engines appears to have stopped due to fuel exhaustion, but there would have still been a small amount of fuel remaining to run the other engine, also there will still be ‘unusable’ fuel which is fuel in the tanks that cannot reach the engines. That being said, I may have slightly exaggerated the fire to allow for the crash site to be more visible in the dark.

[@YazmuseTV]

Damn! Wtf? Lol

[@bradsanders407]

How was there a fire and explosion on a plane that was out of fuel?

[@markneubauer9161]

I m no Bob Hoover, but during my instrument training in 1998. I performed a GCA Approach at Dayton airport and completed it successfully on my first try, and no prior training. You just do what the ground controller tells you what to do..descend, turn left, turn right, climb, etc while he watches his two-axis radar image. Surprisingly easy to do. I submit the fault lay with the ground controllers, not the pilots, since they were the common element to all the crashes.

[@pogonator1]

Yea, but you didn't had 100ft minimums and the Dayton runway is a 7000 ft long 150 ft wide concrete avenue with proper lights and not a gras strip lit up with candles. 😂

[@northmaineguy5896]

3:15 You are mixing up Ground Controlled Approach (GCA) with Approach Surveillance Radar or ASR -- they are not the same. GCA provides course AND altitude, i.e., glide path' guidance; ASR ONLY provides course guidance and RECOMMENDED glide path or altitude based on a chart the controller has. ASR will bring you to the runway environment but a GCA approach can be made in a "zero, zero" situation down to the runway surface. I am a retired ATC and a former Army GCA controller.

[@williammickelson403]

Awful to survive the war only to perish in a civilian crash soon after

[@ThatRandomGamer_Main]

I'm surprised that there isn't a Wikipedia page about this.

[@sreed8570]

Each and every positive change in commercial aviation came forth only after being liberally lubricated with human blood.

[@MGower4465]

Not to be *that guy*, but there would be no "ex US Air Force' pilots in 1946. The Air Force was still part of the Army then.

[@HaroldHeidendom]

Blaaack christmas I gave you my heart. BUT THE VERY NEXT DAY, YOU FLEW IT AWAY. (havent watched the video. came here to make the comment)

[@monicamestas7566]

If the weather conditions were so bad for landing, given the aviation technologies of the day, why weren't the flights cancelled?!?

[@undersawpsans9253]

because THEY WHERE IN THE AIR

[@dex1lsp]

This is a whole Dagwood sandwich full of perfectly aligned slices of Swiss cheese. Yikes. 😬

[@celebrityrog]

It's never a tragedy when the most overpopulated nation has a few hundred, or million who pass along.

[@adityachauhan2073]

But it’s always a tragedy when racists like you air out these deplorable opinions.

[@Deiniolenman]

The commentator's insistence on tautology is an irritant.

[@Magikarp-4ever]

Racist Christmas! (Parodying modern culture)

[@louisrodgers5976]

This was a final DESTINATION MOMENT😮😮

[@mapupuce1]

Thanks!

[@CuriousPilot90]

Thank you very much!