A Commando Entombed on Mount Rainier

On December 10, 1946, 32 Marines were lost in the deadliest aviation accident in history on Mount Rainier in Washington state. They, and the aircraft, are still there.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, December 10, 2021 at 09:52 AM ET

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A Curtis R5C "Commando" in flight. Courtesy: U.S. Air Force

Key Takeaways:

On December 10, 1946, a Curtiss Commando R5C military transport aircraft, carrying 32 Marines, disappeared during a severe winter storm on a flight from San Diego to Seattle.
The wreckage was eventually discovered on Mount Rainier in July 1947, confirming the aircraft had crashed at the 9,500-foot level, with some remains found months later.
Due to the extremely unstable and hazardous glacier conditions, the full recovery of the 32 servicemen's bodies was deemed too dangerous.
At the request of the grieving families, the recovery mission was abandoned, leaving the 32 Marines entombed in the ice and snow of Mount Rainier to this day.

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It’s been 75 years since a Curtiss Commando R5C, military identification No. 39528, disappeared while on a flight from San Diego, California, to Seattle, Washington. The morning of December 10, 1946, the aircraft—part of a flight of six—departed from El Toro Marine Air Station near San Diego. The destination was Naval Air Station Seattle, located at Sand Point on the west side of Lake Washington. There were a total of 32 men on board the aircraft.

They never made it, and 75 years later, they still haven’t moved from where they were found.