1945 New Guinea Gremlin Special rescue
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | May 13, 1945 |
| Summary | Controlled flight into terrain in downdraft |
| Site |
|
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | Douglas C-47 Skytrain |
| Aircraft name | Gremlin Special |
| Operator | United States Army Air Corps |
| Registration | 42-23952 |
| Flight origin | Jayapura |
| Destination | Baliem Valley ("Shangri-La Valley") |
| Passengers | 19 |
| Crew | 5 |
| Fatalities | 22 |
| Injuries | 3 |
| Survivors | 3 |
The Gremlin Special was a Douglas C-47 Skytrain that crashed during a sightseeing flight over the Baliem Valley (also known as Shangri-La Valley) in New Guinea in the eastern part of the Netherlands Indies in 1945. The recovery of the three survivors from an isolated valley surrounded by mountains, enemy troops, and native inhabitants made worldwide news at the time and is the subject of the 2011 book Lost in Shangri-La by author Mitchell Zuckoff.