In January 1944, a C-87 transport aircraft of the U.S. “Hump” Airlift Command went missing while flying over “the Hump Route”, along with its five crew members. The C-87 was a transport variant of the U.S. B-24D bomber and served as an important force for air transport along “the Hump Route”.

In September 1993, a group of Tibetan villagers unexpectedly discovered the wreckage of the C-87 and the remains of its crew on the Ruoguo Glacier while hunting. Nearly 50 years had passed since the aircraft’s disappearance. Afterwards, through the coordination and efforts of the Chinese and U.S. governments, the remains of the five crew members were repatriated and interred at Arlington National Cemetery. Due to the remoteness and treacherous terrain, however, the wreckage of the transport plane remained on the 4,100-meter-high glacier.

In July 2015, a 52-member expedition team composed of scholars, journalists, and volunteers ventured into the deep mountains of Yigong to search for relics of the Hump route heroes. On August 15, the long-frozen crash remains finally arrived at the Jianchuan Museum together with the volunteer team, making their official public debut in the exhibition. In the photo (Xinhua News Agency), 100 pilot helmets were displayed in the large photo installation “Wings Broken: Searching for the C-87” to honor the brave aviators who sacrificed their lives flying “the Hump Route”.