The Douglas DC-2 is a retired 14-passenger,
twin-engined airliner
An airliner is a type of airplane for transporting passengers and air cargo. Such aircraft are most often operated by airlines. The modern and most common variant of the airliner is a long, tube shaped, and jet powered aircraft. The largest ...
that was produced by the American company
Douglas Aircraft Company
The Douglas Aircraft Company was an American aerospace manufacturer, aerospace and military, defense company based in Southern California. Founded in 1921 by Donald Wills Douglas Sr., it merged with McDonnell Aircraft in 1967 to form McDonnell D ...
starting in 1934. It competed with the
Boeing 247
The Boeing Model 247 is an early American airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal ( anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear. . In 1935, Douglas produced a larger version called the
DC-3
The Douglas DC-3 is a propeller-driven airliner manufactured by the Douglas Aircraft Company, which had a lasting effect on the airline industry in the 1930s to 1940s and World War II.
It was developed as a larger, improved 14-bed sleeper ...
, which became one of the most successful aircraft in history.
Design and development
In the early 1930s, fears about the safety of wooden aircraft structures drove the US aviation industry to develop all-metal airliners.
United Airlines
United Airlines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois that operates an extensive domestic and international route network across the United States and six ...
had exclusive right to the all metal twin-engine
Boeing 247
The Boeing Model 247 is an early American airliner, and one of the first such aircraft to incorporate advances such as all-metal ( anodized aluminum) semimonocoque construction, a fully cantilevered wing, and retractable landing gear. ; rival
TWA issued a specification for an all-metal trimotor.
The Douglas response was more radical. When it flew on July 1, 1933, the prototype
DC-1 had a robust tapered wing, retractable landing gear, and two 690 hp (515 kW)
Wright
Wright is an occupational surname originating in England and Scotland. The term 'Wright' comes from the circa 700 AD Old English word 'wryhta' or 'wyrhta', meaning worker or shaper of wood. Later it became any occupational worker (for example, a ...
radial engines driving
variable-pitch propellers. It seated 12 passengers. The DC-2 was longer than the DC-1, had more powerful engines, and carried 14 passengers in a 66-inch-wide cabin.
Douglas test pilot
Carl Cover
Carl Anson Cover (26 April 1893 – 27 November 1944) was the chief test pilot and first to fly the Douglas Aircraft Company DC-1, DC-2, DC-3, DC-4, and the DC-5 airliners. Cover became Senior Vice President and general manager for Douglas ...
flew the first test flight of the DC-2 on May 11, 1934. TWA was the launch customer for the DC-2, ordering twenty. The design impressed American and European airlines, and further orders followed. Although Fokker had purchased a production licence from Douglas for $100,000 (about $2,224,000 in 2022), no manufacturing was done in the Netherlands. Those for European customers,
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), ,
LOT,
Swissair
Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...
, CLS, and
LAPE purchased via
Fokker
Fokker (; ) was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer that operated from 1912 to 1996. The company was founded by the Dutch aviator Anthony Fokker and became famous during World War I for its fighter aircraft. During its most successful period in the 19 ...
in the Netherlands, were built and flown by Douglas in the US, sea-shipped to Europe with wings and propellers detached, then erected at airfields by Fokker near the seaport of arrival (e.g. Cherbourg or Rotterdam).
Airspeed Ltd.
Airspeed Limited was established in 1931 to build aeroplanes in York, England, by A. H. Tiltman and Nevil Shute Norway (the aeronautical engineer and novelist, who used his forenames as his pen-name). The other directors were A. E. Hewitt, ...
took a similar licence for DC-2s to be delivered in Britain and assigned the company designation Airspeed AS.23, but, although a registration for one aircraft was reserved, none were built.
[O'Leary, Michael. "Douglas Commercial Two." ''Air Classics'' magazine, May 2003] Another licence was taken by the
Nakajima Aircraft Company
The was a prominent Japanese aircraft manufacturer and aviation engine manufacturer throughout World War II. It continues as the car and aircraft manufacturer Subaru Corporation, Subaru.
History
The Nakajima Aircraft company was Japan's first ...
in Japan; unlike Fokker and Airspeed, Nakajima built five aircraft as well as assembling at least one Douglas-built aircraft.
A total of 130 civil DC-2s were built with another 62 for the United States military. In 1935,
Don Douglas stated in an article that the DC-2 cost about $80,000 (about $1,780,000 in 2022) per aircraft, if mass-produced.
Operational history
Although overshadowed by its ubiquitous successor, it was the DC-2 that first showed that passenger air travel could be comfortable, safe, and reliable. As a token of this, KLM entered its first DC-2 PH-AJU ''Uiver'' (Stork) in the October 1934
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 in aviation, 1934 as part of the 1934 Centenary of Melbourne, Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor o ...
between London and Melbourne. It finished second of the twenty entrants, behind the purpose-built
de Havilland DH.88 racer ''Grosvenor House'' (race time 70 hours 54 minutes), and nearly three hours ahead of the
Boeing 247D. During the total journey time of 90 hours 13 minutes, it was in the air for 81 hours 10 minutes. It won the handicap section of the race, as although the DH.88 had finished first in the handicap section, the regulations allowed the crew to claim only one victory. It flew KLM's regular 9,000-mile route (a thousand miles longer than the official race route), carrying mail, making every scheduled passenger stop, turning back once to pick up a stranded passenger, and became lost in a thunderstorm and briefly stuck in the mud after a diversionary landing at the
Albury
Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...
race course on the last leg of the journey.
Variants
Civilian

;DC-2
:156 civil DC-2s, powered by two
Wright R-1820 Cyclone
The Wright R-1820 Cyclone 9 is an American radial engine developed by Curtiss-Wright, widely used on aircraft in the 1930s through 1950s. It was produced under license in France as the Hispano-Suiza 9V or Hispano-Wright 9V, and in the Soviet Uni ...
radial piston engines of varying in power from depending on model
;DC-2A
:Two civil DC-2s, powered by two
Pratt & Whitney R-1690 Hornet (SD-G, S1E-G or S2E-G) radial piston engines
;DC-2B
:Two DC-2s sold to
LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines, legally Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (, ''flight''), is the flag carrier of Poland. A founding member of IATA, it is one of the world's oldest airlines. With a fleet of 87 aircraft as of June 2025, LOT is Europe's 16th ...
, fitted with two
Bristol Pegasus VI radial piston engines
[Francillon 1979, p. 180.]
;Nakajima-Douglas DC-2 transport
:DC-2 transports license built in Japan by
Nakajima
;Airspeed AS.23
:The designation reserved for proposed license-built production by
Airspeed Ltd
Airspeed Limited was established in 1931 to build aeroplanes in York, England, by A. H. Tiltman and Nevil Shute, Nevil Shute Norway (the aeronautical engineer and novelist, who used his forenames as his pen-name). The other directors were A. E ...
. in Great Britain
Military
Modified DC-2s built for the
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
under several military designations:

;XC-32
:(DC-2-153) One aircraft, powered by two
Wright R-1820-25 radial piston engines, for evaluation as a 14-seat VIP transport aircraft, one built,
[Francillon 1979, p. 181.] later used by
General Andrews as a flying command post
;C-32A
:Designation for 24 commercial DC-2s impressed at the start of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
;C-33
:(DC-2-145) Cargo transport variant of the C-32 powered by two
Wright R-1820-25 engines, with larger vertical tail surfaces, a reinforced cabin floor and a large cargo door in the aft fuselage, 18 built

;YC-34
:(1x DC-2-173 & 1x DC-2-346) VIP transport for the
secretary of war
The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...
, basically similar to XC-32, later designated ''C-34'', two built
[Francillon 1979, pp. 181–182.]
;C-38
:The first C-33 was modified with a DC-3-style tail section and two
Wright R-1820-45 radial piston engines of 975 hp (727 kW) each. Originally designated ''C-33A'' but redesignated as prototype for C-39 variant, one built.
[Francillon 1979, p. 182.]

;C-39
:(DC-2-243) 16-seat passenger variant, a composite of DC-2 and DC-3 components, with C-33 fuselage and wings and DC-3-type tail, center-section and landing gear. Powered by two
Wright R-1820-45 radial piston engines; 35 built.
[Francillon 1979, pp. 182–183.]
;C-41
:The sole C-41 was a VIP aircraft for Air Corps Chief Oscar Westover (and his successor
Hap Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold (25 June 1886 – 15 January 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1 ...
). Although supplied against a C-39 order it was not a DC-2 derivative but in fact a DC-3-253 fitted with two
Pratt & Whitney R-1830-21 engines. (The sole
Douglas C-41A was also a VIP version of the DC-3A)
[Francillon 1979, p. 239.]
;C-42
:(DC-2-267) VIP transport variant of the C-39, powered by two
Wright R-1820-53 radial piston engines, of 1,000 hp (746 kW) each, one built in 1939 for the commanding general, GHQ Air Force, plus two similarly-converted C-39s with their cargo doors bolted shut were converted in 1943.

;R2D-1
:(3x DC-2-125 & 2x DC-2-142)
Wright R-1820-12-powered transport similar to the XC-32, three built for the United States Navy and two for the United States Marine Corps
Operators
♠ = Original operators
Civil operators
;
*
Australian National Airways
Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s.
The Holyman's Airways period
On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...
*
Holymans Airways ♠
;
*
Aerovias Brasil
*
Aerovias Minas Gerais
*
Cruzeiro do Sul
*
Panair do Brasil
Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. it ceased operations in 1965. Between 1945 and 1965, it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America.
History
NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930)
''Panair do B ...
;
*
CNAC, jointly owned and operated with Pan American Airlines
;
*
SCADTA
Sociedad Colombo Alemana de Transportes Aéreos (SCADTA; ), was the world's second airline, and the first airline in Latin America, operating from 1919 until World War II. After the war, SCADTA merged with Colombian regional carrier Colombian Air ...
renamed as
Avianca
Avianca S.A. (acronym in Spanish for ''Aerovias de Colombia S.A.'', "Airways of Colombia", and stylized as avianca since October 2023) is the largest airline in Colombia. It has been the flag carrier of Colombia since December 5, 1919, when it ...
*UMCA Uraba Medellin Centra Airways ♠
;
* (''Československá Letecká Společnost'', Czechoslovak Air Transport Company) ♠
;
*
KNILM
Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij (in English: Royal Dutch Indies Airways) was the flag carrier of the former Dutch East Indies. Headquartered in Amsterdam, KNILM was ''not'' a subsidiary of the better-known Koninklijke L ...
(Royal Netherlands Indies Airways) ♠
;
*
Aero O/Y
;
*
SAHSA
;
*
Deutsche Lufthansa
Deutsche Lufthansa AG (), trading as the Lufthansa Group, is a German aviation group. Its major and founding subsidiary airline Lufthansa German Airlines, branded as Lufthansa, is the flag carrier of Germany. It ranks second in Europe by ...
♠
;
*
Avio Linee Italiane ♠
;
*Great Northern Airways ♠
*
Japan Air Transport
*
Imperial Japanese Airways
;
*
Manchurian Airlines
;
*
Aeronaves de Mexico
*''
Mexicana''
;
*
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), ♠ ordered 18 aircraft.
;
*
LOT Polish Airlines
LOT Polish Airlines, legally Polskie Linie Lotnicze LOT S.A. (, ''flight''), is the flag carrier of Poland. A founding member of IATA, it is one of the world's oldest airlines. With a fleet of 87 aircraft as of June 2025, LOT is Europe's 16th ...
♠ operated three DC-2B aircraft between 1935 and 1939
;
Spanish Republic
*
Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas
LAPE, Spanish Postal Airlines ''(Líneas Aéreas Postales Españolas)'', was Spain's national airline during the Second Spanish Republic.
History
LAPE, often also spelt L.A.P.E. and colloquially known as ''"Las LAPE"'', replaced CLASSA (''Com ...
♠ received five aircraft.
;
*
Phoenix Airlines
;
*
Swissair
Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...
♠
;
*
American Airlines
American Airlines, Inc. is a major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, within the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, and is the Largest airlines in the world, largest airline in the ...
♠
*
Braniff Airways
Braniff Airways, Inc., operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982 and continues to ...
*
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a Major airlines of the United States, major airline in the United States headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, operating nine hubs, with Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport being its ...
operated four aircraft during 1940–1941
*
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
♠ received 14 aircraft and used them on East Coast routes.
*
General Air Lines ♠
*
Mercer Airlines ♠ 1 airplane, sold to Colgate Darden in late 1960s, now in the Netherlands
*
Pan American Airways
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...
♠ received 16 aircraft, distributing many to its foreign affiliates; some flew under its own name on Central American routes.
*
Pan American-Grace Airways (Panagra) ♠ used its DC-2s on routes within South America.
*
Transcontinental & Western Air (TWA) was the first DC-2 operator, receiving 30 aircraft. ♠
;
*
PLUNA
PLUNA Líneas Aéreas Uruguayas S.A. was the flag carrier of Uruguay. It was headquartered in Carrasco, Montevideo and operated scheduled services within South America, as well as scheduled cargo and charter services from its hub at Carrasco ...
operated two DC-2s acquired from
Panair do Brasil
Panair do Brasil was an airline of Brazil. it ceased operations in 1965. Between 1945 and 1965, it was considered to be the largest carrier not only in Brazil but in all of Latin America.
History
NYRBA do Brasil (1929–1930)
''Panair do B ...
.
Military and government operators
;
*
Argentine Naval Aviation
The Argentine Naval Aviation (', COAN) is the naval aviation branch of the Argentine Navy and one of its four operational commands. Argentina, along with Brazilian Navy, Brazil is one of two South American countries to have operated two aircraft c ...
- 5 (+1) DC-2 ex civilian Venezuelan
;
*
Royal Australian Air Force
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) is the principal Air force, aerial warfare force of Australia, a part of the Australian Defence Force (ADF) along with the Royal Australian Navy and the Australian Army. Constitutionally the Governor-Gener ...
- Ten aircraft were in service with the RAAF from 1940 to 1946.
**
No. 8 Squadron RAAF
No. 8 Squadron was an Australian flying training squadron of World War I and medium bomber squadron of World War II. The squadron was formed in England in October 1917 as part of the Australian Flying Corps, and disbanded in April 1919. It was r ...
**
No. 36 Squadron RAAF
** Parachute Training School RAAF
** Wireless Air Gunners School RAAF
;
*Austrian Government
;
*
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; ; ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The Finnish Air ...
Donated by the
Carl Gustaf von Rosen and
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), during the
Winter War
The Winter War was a war between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on 30 November 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peac ...
(1939–1940) which flew a bombing mission based on Tampere on 22 February 1940
;
*French government
;
* ''
Luftwaffe
The Luftwaffe () was the aerial warfare, aerial-warfare branch of the before and during World War II. German Empire, Germany's military air arms during World War I, the of the Imperial German Army, Imperial Army and the of the Imperial Ge ...
''
;
*''
Regia Aeronautica
The Royal Italian Air Force (''Regia Aeronautica Italiana'') (RAI) was the air force of the Kingdom of Italy. It was established as a service independent of the Regio Esercito, Royal Italian Army from 1923 until 1946. In 1946, the monarchy was ...
'' 2 aircraft
;
*
Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
The Imperial Japanese Army Air Service (IJAAS) or Imperial Japanese Army Air Force (IJAAF; ) was the Military aviation, aviation force of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA). Its primary mission was to provide tactical close air support for ground ...
- A single example of the DC-2 was impressed by the Imperial Japanese Army.
[Francillon 1970, p. 499.]
;
Spanish Republic
*
Spanish Republican Air Force
The Spanish Republican Air Force was the air arm of the Armed Forces of the Second Spanish Republic, the legally established government of Spain between 1931 and 1939. Initially divided into two branches: Military Aeronautics () and Naval Aeron ...
took over the DC-2s from
LAPE inventory.
;
*
Royal Air Force
The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the Air force, air and space force of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. It was formed towards the end of the World War I, First World War on 1 April 1918, on the merger of t ...
;
*
United States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) was the aerial warfare service component of the United States Army between 1926 and 1941. After World War I, as early aviation became an increasingly important part of modern warfare, a philosophical ri ...
♠
*
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces (USAAF or AAF) was the major land-based aerial warfare service component of the United States Army and ''de facto'' aerial warfare service branch of the United States during and immediately after World War II ...
*
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...
♠
*
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
♠
Incidents and accidents
*December 20, 1934: A
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), DC-2-115A (PH-AJU, ''Uiver'') crashed at
Rutbah Wells in Iraq, killing all seven on board. The aircraft was operating a flight from
Schiphol
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol , known informally as Schiphol Airport (, ), is the main international airport of the Netherlands, and is one of the major hubs for the SkyTeam airline alliance. It is located southwest of Amsterdam, in the municipal ...
to
Batavia. This was the first loss of a DC-2 and the first fatal accident involving the DC-2.
*May 6, 1935:
TWA Flight 6
TWA Flight 6 was a Transcontinental & Western Air Douglas DC-2, on a route from Los Angeles to Newark, New Jersey, that crashed near Atlanta, Missouri, on May 6, 1935, killing five of the thirteen people on board, including Senator Bronson M ...
, a DC-2-115 (NC13785), hit terrain and crashed near
Atlanta, Missouri, while flying low in poor visibility to reach a landing field before running out of fuel. Five of thirteen on board were killed, including New Mexico Senator
Bronson M. Cutting.
*July 20, 1935:
1935 San Giacomo Douglas DC-2 crash: A KLM DC-2-115E (PH-AKG, ''Gaai'') crashed on landing at Pian San Giacomo in bad weather, killing all 13 on board.
*October 6, 1935: A Standard Oil Company DC-2A-127 (NC14285) crashed into Great Salt Lake, Utah; the three crew survived the crash, but drowned while trying to swim to safety.
*January 14, 1936:
American Airlines Flight 1, a DC-2-120 (NC14274), crashed into a swamp near
Goodwin, Arkansas, for reasons unknown, killing all 17 on board.
*April 7, 1936:
TWA Flight 1, a DC-2-112 (NC13721), crashed into Chestnut Ridge near
Uniontown, Pennsylvania
Uniontown is the largest city in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. The population was 9,984 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Pittsburgh metropolitan area, southeast of Pittsburgh.
History
southeast of ...
, in fog due to pilot error, killing 12 of 14 on board.
*October 10, 1936: A
Pan American-Grace Airways DC-2-118B (NC14273) struck the side of a mountain near San Jose Pinula while being ferried from San Salvador to Guatemala City, killing the three crew.
*December 9, 1936: A KLM DC-2-115E (PH-AKL, ''Lijster'')
crashed on takeoff at Croydon Airport killing 15 of the 17 passengers and crew on board. The aircraft was operating a flight from
London
London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
to
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
.
Juan de la Cierva
Juan de la Cierva y Codorníu, 1st Count of la Cierva (; 21 September 1895 – 9 December 1936), was a Spanish civil engineer, pilot and a self-taught aeronautical engineer. His most famous accomplishment was the invention in 1920 of a rotorcr ...
, inventor of the
autogiro
An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), gyroscope, gyrocopter or gyroplane, is a class of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. A gyroplane "means a rotorcraft whose rotors are not engine-drive ...
, was among the dead.
*March 25, 1937:
TWA Flight 15A, a DC-2-112 (NC13730), crashed into a small gully near
Clifton, Pennsylvania, due to icing, killing all 13 on board.
*July 28, 1937: A KLM DC-2-115L (PH-ALF, ''Flamingo'') crashed into a field near Belligen, Belgium, after takeoff due to an in-flight fire, killing all 15 on board.
*August 6, 1937: An
Aeroflot
PJSC AeroflotRussian Airlines (, ), commonly known as Aeroflot ( or ; , , ), is the flag carrier and the largest airline of Russia. Aeroflot is headquartered in the Central Administrative Okrug, Moscow, with its hub being Sheremetyevo Interna ...
DC-2-152 (URSS-M25) exploded in mid-air and crashed near Bistrita, Romania, killing all five on board.
*August 10, 1937:
Eastern Air Lines
Eastern Air Lines (also colloquially known as Eastern) was a major airline in the United States that operated from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution, it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in an unincorporated area of Miami-Dade ...
Flight 7, a DC-2-112 (NC13739), crashed on takeoff at Daytona Beach Airport after striking a power pole, killing four of nine on board.
*August 23, 1937: A Pan American-Grace Airways DC-2-118A (NC14298) crashed and burned 20 mi north of San Luis, Argentina in dense fog, killing all three on board.
*November 23, 1937: A
LOT DC-2-115D (SP-ASJ) crashed in the
Pirin
The Pirin Mountains ( ) are a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria, with the highest peak, Vihren, at an altitude of .
The range extends about from the north-west to the south-east and is about wide, spanning a territory of . To the north ...
mountains, killing all six occupants. The aircraft was operating a flight from
Thessaloniki
Thessaloniki (; ), also known as Thessalonica (), Saloniki, Salonika, or Salonica (), is the second-largest city in Greece (with slightly over one million inhabitants in its Thessaloniki metropolitan area, metropolitan area) and the capital cit ...
to
Bucharest
Bucharest ( , ; ) is the capital and largest city of Romania. The metropolis stands on the River Dâmbovița (river), Dâmbovița in south-eastern Romania. Its population is officially estimated at 1.76 million residents within a greater Buc ...
.
*March 1, 1938: TWA Flight 8, a DC-2-112,
crashed in Yosemite National Park due to severe weather, killing all nine on board; the wreckage was found three months later.
*July 19, 1938: A Pan American-Grace Airways DC-2-118A (NC14272, ''Santa Lucia'') crashed into Mount Mercedario, killing all four on board; the wreckage was found in early 1941.
*August 24, 1938:
Kweilin Incident
The ''Kweilin'' incident occurred on August 24, 1938 when a Douglas DC-2 airliner named ''Kweilin'' carrying 18 passengers and crew was shot down by Japanese aircraft in China. There were fourteen fatalities. It was the List of airliner shootdow ...
in China. The first commercial airplane in history to be shot down.
*October 25, 1938: An
Australian National Airways
Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s.
The Holyman's Airways period
On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...
DC-2-210 (VH-UYC, ''Kyeema'')
crashed into Mount Dandenong due to weather and navigation errors, killing all 18 on board.
*December 8, 1938: An
Imperial Japanese Airways Nakajima/Douglas DC-2 (J-BBOH, ''Fuji'') crashed in the East China Sea off the Kerama Islands due to engine failure, killing 10 of 12 on board; the survivors were rescued by a steamship.
*January 7, 1939: A
Swissair
Swissair (German language, German: Schweizerische Luftverkehr-AG; French language, French: S.A. Suisse pour la Navigation Aérienne, stylised as swissair) was the Flag carrier, national airline of Switzerland between its founding in 1931 and ban ...
DC-2-115B (HB-ITA) crashed into a hill near
Senlis, Oise
Senlis () is a commune in the northern French department of Oise, Hauts-de-France.
The monarchs of the early French dynasties lived in Senlis, attracted by the proximity of the Chantilly forest. It is known for its Gothic cathedral and othe ...
killing five of 17 passengers and crew. The aircraft was operating a flight from
Zurich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
to
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
.
*March 26, 1939:
Braniff Airways
Braniff Airways, Inc., operated as Braniff International Airways from 1948 until 1965, and then Braniff International from 1965 until the cessation of air operations, was an American airline that operated from 1928 until 1982 and continues to ...
Flight 1, a DC-2-112 (NC13237), lost control and crashed on takeoff at Oklahoma City after an engine cylinder blew, killing eight of 12 on board.
*May 10, 1940: Five KLM DC-2-115s (PH-ALD, PH-AKN, PH-AKO, PH-AKP, PH-AKK) were destroyed on the ground at Schiphol Airport by aircraft from Luftwaffe's
KG 4 during the
Battle of the Netherlands
The German invasion of the Netherlands (), otherwise known as the Battle of the Netherlands (), was a military campaign, part of Battle of France, Case Yellow (), the Nazi German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Neth ...
.
*August 9, 1940: A
Deutsche Luft Hansa
''Deutsche Luft Hansa A.G.'' (from 1933 styled as ''Deutsche Lufthansa'' and also known as ''Luft Hansa'', ''Lufthansa'', or DLH) was a German airline. It served as flag carrier of the country during the later years of the Weimar Republic and t ...
DC-2-115E (D-AIAV) crashed near Lämershagen, Germany, due to pilot error, killing two of 13 on board.
*October 29, 1940:
Shootdown of the ''Chungking'' (previously the ''Kweilin'').
[ (In EPub version 3.1: pp. 240–242)]
*January 4, 1941: US Navy R2D-1 ''9622'' struck Mother Grundy Peak, 27 mi E of North Island NAS, killing all 11 on board.
*February 12, 1941: A
China National Aviation Corporation DC-2-190 (''40'', ''Kangting'') struck a mountain near Taohsien, Hunan in a thunderstorm, killing the three crew.
*July 1941: A
Soviet Air Force
The Soviet Air Forces (, VVS SSSR; literally "Military Air Forces of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics"; initialism VVS, sometimes referred to as the "Red Air Force") were one of the air forces of the Soviet Union. The other was the Sovie ...
DC-2-115F (ex. LOT SP-ASK) was destroyed on the ground at
Spilve Airport by German fighters.
*August 2, 1941: A US Treasury DC-2-120 (NC14729) was being delivered to the RAF when it crashed at Bathurst (now Banjul), Gambia, killing the three crew.
*December 8, 1941: RAF DC-2-120 ''DG475'' was shot down by three Luftwaffe Bf 110s and crashed 10 mi northeast of RAF LG-138 (Landing Ground 138) near Habata, Egypt, killing one.
*March 5, 1942:USAAF C-39 ''38-525'' crashed in the St. Lucie River off Port Sewall, Florida, due to wing separation after flying into a storm, killing all seven on board.
*March 14, 1942: A China National Aviation Corporation DC-2-221 (''31'', ''Chungshan'') crashed near
Kunming
Kunming is the capital and largest city of the province of Yunnan in China. The political, economic, communications and cultural centre of the province, Kunming is also the seat of the provincial government. During World War II, Kunming was a Ch ...
, killing 13 of 17 on board.
*May 25, 1942: USAAF C-39 ''38-505'' crashed on takeoff from Alice Springs Airport in Australia due to overloading, killing all 10 on board.
*September 14, 1942: RAAF DC-2-112 ''A30-5'', of RAAF 36 Squadron, crashed while on approach to Seven Mile Strip, killing the five crew.
*October 1, 1942: USAAF C-39 ''38-524'' struck a hill at high speed 15 mi northwest of Coamo, Puerto Rico, due to an unexplained malfunction and low visibility, killing all 22 on board in the worst-ever accident involving the DC-2.
*January 31, 1944: USAAF C-39 ''38-501'' crashed near Sioux City AAB due to a possible engine fire, killing the three crew.
*August 11, 1945: A
Mexicana DC-2-243 (XA-DOT) struck Iztaccihuatl Volcano in bad weather, killing all 15 on board.
*February 7, 1951:
Finnish Air Force
The Finnish Air Force (FAF or FiAF; ; ) is one of the branches of the Finnish Defence Forces. Its peacetime tasks are airspace surveillance, identification flights, and production of readiness formations for wartime conditions. The Finnish Air ...
DC-2-200 ''DO-3'' (ex. OH-LDB ''Sisu'') crashed on takeoff from
Malmi Airport due to engine failure; the fuselage is preserved at the Suomen ilmailumuseo (
Finnish Aviation Museum) in Helsinki.
Surviving aircraft

Several DC-2s have survived and been preserved in the 21st century in the following museums in the following places:
* c/n 1286 - Ex-Eastern Airlines and RAAF, preserved (dressed as the historic "Uiver", PH-AJU) at
Albury, New South Wales
Albury (; ) is a major regional city that is located in the Murray River, Murray region of New South Wales, Australia. It is part of the twin city of Albury–Wodonga, Albury-Wodonga and is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of ...
as centerpiece of
Uiver Memorial at
Albury Airport
Albury Airport is a regional airport located northeast of Albury, Australia. The airport, which also serves Albury's adjacent twin city of Wodonga. It hosts the official weather station for Albury-Wodonga.
History
Although the site had been ...
. This is the oldest DC-2 left in the world. It was removed from its prominent position on poles in front of the Albury Airport terminal building in late 2002, but unfortunately kept out in the open air without preservation. In 2014 after much debate and delays, Albury City Council transferred ownership of the plane to the Uiver Memorial Community Trust (UMCT). In January 2016 UMCT began work on removing the major assemblies of the aircraft, and on 12 May 2016 the airframe was transferred to a restoration hangar. Restoration of this aircraft to static display standard is now under way.
* c/n 1288 - An Ex-Eastern Airlines and RAAF DC-2, it was exported and located for many years at the Aviodrome in the Netherlands though owned by the
Dutch Dakota Association.
It was transferred to the Netherlands Transport Museum in 2018 and has been externally restored for static display as KNILM DC-2 PK-AFK.
* c/n 1292 - There are three DC-2s surviving in Australia as of 2006; this aircraft, c/n 1292, is one of ten ex-Eastern Airlines DC-2s purchased and operated by the RAAF during World War II as A30-9. It is under restoration by the
Australian National Aviation Museum. at
Moorabbin Airport
Moorabbin (Harry Hawker) Airport is a mostly general aviation airport for light aircraft located in between the southern Melbourne suburbs of Heatherton, Cheltenham, Dingley Village and Mentone. It also receives commercial airline service. ...
in
Victoria,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
* c/n 1354 - One DC-2-115E (reg. DO-1 (''Hanssin-Jukka''), ex. PH-AKH (
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), ''Haan''), SE-AKE) is preserved by the
Aviation Museum of Central Finland (Finnish Air Force Museum) and is on display in a hangar in Tuulos, Finland. The plane was restored to display condition in 2011, in war-time colors. It performed one bombing raid in February 1940. Another wingless fuselage (c/n 1562, reg. DO-3, ex. OH-LDB "Sisu") was on display at the
Finnish Aviation Museum in Vantaa. The fuselage was transported to the Aviation Museum of Central Finland in 2011, where it was used in the DO-1 restoration project.
* c/n 1368 - A former
Pan Am
Pan American World Airways, originally founded as Pan American Airways and more commonly known as Pan Am, was an airline that was the principal and largest international air carrier and unofficial overseas flag carrier of the United States for ...
aircraft that was used by the Douglas historical foundation until the merger with Boeing in 1997. It is now housed at the
Museum of Flight
The Museum of Flight is a private Nonprofit organization, non-profit Aircraft, air and Spacecraft, space museum in the Seattle metropolitan area. It is located at the southern end of Boeing Field, King County International Airport (Boeing Fi ...
in
Seattle, Washington
Seattle ( ) is the List of municipalities in Washington, most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the List of Unit ...
. This aircraft (N1934D) was restored to flying condition in 2007 and flown to Santa Maria, California, for a new paint job. It received a
TWA "The Lindbergh Line" livery and interior trim.
* c/n 1376 - Owned by Steve Ferris in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
, and has been under restoration to flying status for many years. It was originally delivered to
KNILM
Koninklijke Nederlandsch-Indische Luchtvaart Maatschappij (in English: Royal Dutch Indies Airways) was the flag carrier of the former Dutch East Indies. Headquartered in Amsterdam, KNILM was ''not'' a subsidiary of the better-known Koninklijke L ...
in 1935. At the outbreak of
World War II
World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
it was flown to Australia and was conscripted into use with the Allied Directorate of Air Transport. In 1944 it joined
Australian National Airways
Australian National Airways (ANA) was Australia's predominant aerial carrier from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s.
The Holyman's Airways period
On 19 March 1932 Flinders Island Airways began a regular aerial service using the Desoutter Mk.I ...
and finished its flying career in the 1950s with Marshall Airways. It is registered as ''VH-CDZ''. It is the most complete of all the Australian DC-2s as of 2008.
* c/n 1404 - The
Aviodrome in
Lelystad
Lelystad () is a Dutch Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and the capital city of the province of Flevoland in the central Netherlands. The city, built on reclaimed land, was founded in 1967 and was named after Cornelis Lely, who en ...
, the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
, owns and operates one of the last flying DC-2s. This former
United States Navy
The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...
aircraft is painted in the Uiver's
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), color scheme and is sometimes seen in European airshows. It is registered as NC39165 since 1945, though it now also wears PH-AJU as a fictional registration to match that of the historic Uiver aircraft.
["Collectieoverzicht:A–F."](_blank)
''Aviodrome''. Retrieved: November 23, 2010. The aircraft was operated by Mercer Airlines of Burbank, California, and sold in the late 1960s to Colgate Darden, who restored it in
General Air Lines colors and moved it to his private airport in South Carolina.
* c/n 2702 - C-39A (
Serial Number
A serial number (SN) is a unique identifier used to ''uniquely'' identify an item, and is usually assigned incrementally or sequentially.
Despite being called serial "numbers", they do not need to be strictly numerical and may contain letters ...
''38-515'') is at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force
The National Museum of the United States Air Force (formerly the United States Air Force Museum) is the official museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, northeast of Dayton, Ohio. The NMUSAF is ...
at
Wright-Patterson AFB
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) is a United States Air Force base and census-designated place just east of Dayton, Ohio, in Greene and Montgomery counties. It includes both Wright and Patterson Fields, which were originally Wilbur Wr ...
in
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is a city in Montgomery County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of cities in Ohio, sixth-most populous city in Ohio, with a population of 137,644 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. The Dayton metro ...
. The aircraft is currently in storage at the museum.
Notable appearances in media
The DC-2 was the "
Good Ship Lollipop" that Shirley Temple sang about in the film ''
Bright Eyes'' (1934).
A DC-2 appears in the 1937 film
''Lost Horizon''; the footage includes taxiing, takeoff, and landing as well as views in flight.
In the 1956 film ''
Back from Eternity
''Back from Eternity'' is a 1956 American Drama (film and television), drama film about a planeload of people stranded in the South American jungle and subsequently menaced by Headhunting, headhunters. The film stars Robert Ryan, Rod Steiger, An ...
'', the action centers on the passengers and crew of a DC-2, registry number N39165, which makes an emergency landing in headhunter territory in the remote South American jungle. The plane, Construction Number (C/N) 1404, survives today (see
#Surviving aircraft) in the color scheme of the one operated by
KLM
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, or simply KLM (an abbreviation for their official name Koninklijke Luchtvaart Maatschappij N.V. , ), when it came second in the
MacRobertson Air Race
The MacRobertson Trophy Air Race (also known as the London to Melbourne Air Race) took place in October 1934 in aviation, 1934 as part of the 1934 Centenary of Melbourne, Melbourne Centenary celebrations. The race was devised by the Lord Mayor o ...
in 1934, flying a DC-2 registered in the
Netherlands
, Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...
as PH-AJU ''Uiver''.
The real PH-AJU was lost in a crash a few months after the MacRobertson Air Race.
Author
Ernest K. Gann recounts his early days as a commercial pilot flying DC-2s in his memoir ''
Fate Is the Hunter
''Fate Is the Hunter'' is a 1961 memoir by aviation writer Ernest K. Gann. It describes his years working as a pilot from the 1930s to 1950s, starting at American Airlines in Douglas DC-2s and DC-3s when civilian air transport was in its inf ...
''. This includes a particularly harrowing account of flying a DC-2 with heavy ice.
Specifications (DC-2)
See also
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Francillon, René J. ''Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War''. London: Putnam, 1970. .
* Francillon, René J. ''McDonnell Douglas Aircraft since 1920''. London: Putnam, 1979. .
*
*
*
* ''United States Air Force Museum Guidebook.'' Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio: Air Force Museum Foundation, 1975.
External links
Boeing: Historical Snapshot: DC-2 Commercial Transportnationalmuseum.af.mil"Flying Office Saves Time of Busy Executives," ''Popular Mechanics'', April 1935, private business version of DC-2DC-2-120 Handbook– The Museum of Flight Digital Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Douglas Dc-02
DC-02
1930s United States airliners
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1934
Twin piston-engined tractor aircraft