Commando 44-77303
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando
USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77303
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32699
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1235
FATE: Written off
Operational Record
October 1944 to April 1946
44-77303 - USAAF (USA)
21 October 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
Assigned to the 4th Combat Cargo Group, 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
18 November 1944
Ferried out of Morrison Field, FL toward Sylhet, Bengal, India.
Crew:
1st Lt. John R. Stone, Pilot
2nd Lt. Lawrence A. Muckey Jr., Copilot
Cpl. Francis D. Kovach, Crew Chief
Sgt. Charles E. Martin, Radio Operator
9 December 1944
Ferried through Karachi, Sindh, India.
Mid-December 1944
Arrived in Sylhet, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
13 December 1944
Damaged in Sylhet, Bengal, India in a taxi accident.
Crew: Cpl. Francis D. Kovach, Crew Chief (erroneously designated as pilot by AAIR)
Late December 1944
Moved to Agartala, Tripura, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
January 1945
Moved to Chittagong, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
June 1945
Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
September 1945
Moved to Ledo, Assam, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
October 1945
Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
November 1945
Moved to RAF Ondal, Bengal, India with the 16th Combat Cargo Squadron.
April 1946 to 1955 1955 to October 1956
N75296 - UNKNOWN (USA)
1955
Purchased by an unknown entity, ferried from India to the USA and refurbished.
October 1956 to 1959
CF-JIL - WORLD WIDE AIRWAYS (CANADA)
October 1956
Purchased by Montreal Air Services, subsidiary of World Wide Airways, and operated by the latter.
1959 to 1962
1962
December 1964 to October 1965
N75296 - UNKNOWN
1 December 1964
Leased from Webair.
29 October 1965
Damaged beyond repair in Pouso Alegre in a landing accident (0/2 fatalities).
The Commando was positioning to Pouso Alegre, Brazil. At 1850 LT, on final approach, the aircraft was too low and struck a dirt bank located short of runway threshold. It crash landed, veered off runway and collided with several vehicles before coming to rest in flames. While both pilots were slightly injured, the airplane was destroyed by fire.
Another version of the same accident explains that the Commando hit a truck during a night approach, and crash landed on the runway. The wreckage was later set on fire by the crew to destroy the contraband cargo of whisky, cigarettes, and radios.
19 July 2018
Registration cancelled.
Last edited: 18/09/2020