Date

Location

Force

Aircraft

From-To

Crew

17-07-1944

Sagres

USAAF       440th Troop Carrier Group

Douglas C-47 Skytrain A       42-100930

Exeter (GB) → Italy

S/Sgt  Allen Satzman    USA

Lt       Herbert White    USA

S/Sgt  Leslie W. Eads     USA

S/Sgt  Gilbert Weiss       USA

2Lt     Allen W. Rand      USA

2Lt     John J. Sharkey   USA

1Lt     William E. Riffel   USA

2Lt     Royden K. Stow    USA

One of the crew members, Gilbert Weiss, told me the landing happened after a powerful storm disorientated the crew that had no navigator between them, and when the chance came they landed.

On the first night they slept in Sagres and on the next day most of the crew went by train to Caldas da Rainha. Riffel and Weiss stayed behind and, with a Portuguese officer from the Aeronáutica Militar (AM), flew the machine to Lisbon.They were all repatriated on August 6, 1944.

The aircraft became part of the AM with the registration D-2.

In 1945, it was one of the first airplanes from newly created Portuguese Civil Transport company – TAP – with the registration CS-TDA and CS-EDB painted in the fuselage.

It was written off in 1958 and sent to Mozambique where it became part of local transport company - the DETA - with the registration CR-AGB, and was named “Gorongosa”.

In 1971, it returned to the Portuguese Air Force (FAP) with the registry FAP6175. On May 6, 1974, in North Mozambique it was hit by a “Strella” missile that struck one wing and engine. She made an emergency landing in a small airfield at Nacatári, near Mueda where it was abandoned. No men were hurt in the event.

Resources:
* Gilbert Weiss
* “Aviões da Cruz de Cristo” – Mário Cannongia Lopes
* voaportugal.org