Commando 41-12386
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-15-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-12386
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26513
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU153
FATE: Written off
Operational Record
May 1943 to September 1947
41-12386 - USAAF (USA)
May 1943
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
September 1947 to unknown date
41-12386 - USAF (USA)
18 September 1947
Transferred.
Unknown date
Modified by Curtiss-Wright for USAF.
Unknown date to December 1957
41-12386 - CALIFORNIA EASTERN AVIATION INC. (USA)
Unknown date
Probably leased by the USAF to California Eastern Aviation.
December 1957 to March 1965
41-12386 - USAF (USA)
16 December 1957
Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
10 April 1964
Sent for reclamation at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
March 1965 to 1972
N4783S - FOUR STAR AVIATION INC. (USA)
2 March 1965
Purchased less engines from USAF. Total airframe time 6,121 hours.
1972 to March 1973
CP-969 - AIR BOLIVIA (BOLIVIA)
1972
Purchased.
22 March 1973
Crashed into Cerro Picon, Bolivia (3/3 fatalities). [this location cannot be found anywhere]
Right: the Commando’s ruggedness is shown to advantage as CP-969 is being loaded somewhere in Bolivia, December 1972
Photo credit: Christian Volpati / Wikimedia Commons
Below: CP-969 at ease on a dirt strip of the Altiplano in Bolivia.
Photo credit: Paul Zogg / zoggavia.com
Last edited: 04/01/2019