The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 41-24748

Aircraft Identification

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-30-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-24748

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26669

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU309

FATE: Written off

Operational Record

  November 1943 to January 1944

  41-24748 - USAAF (USA)


12 November 1943

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.

Unknown date

Assigned to ATC India-China Wing.

18 December 1943

Departed the USA for the ferry flight to Assam, India.

1 January 1944

Crashed in India after it could not land due to heavy fog and ran out of fuel (no fatalities). [MACR 1546]

The Commando was performing a flight from Yunnan, China to Assam, India. Enroute, weather conditions worsened and the pilots were unable to localize the destination airport. They completed several circuits over the region but did not find the fogged-out airport. Eventually, due to fuel exhaustion, the captain instructed the crew to abandon the aircraft and to bail out. Without pilot, the aircraft dove into the ground and crashed in a field. The aircraft was destroyed while all crew were unhurt.

5 January 1944

Condemned for salvage.