Commando 41-24767
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-30-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-24767
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26688
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU328
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
November 1943 to December 1943
41-24767 - USAAF (USA)
13 November 1943
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
December 1943 to unknown date
39521 - US MARINE CORPS (USA)
13 December 1943
Transferred as R5C-1.
By August 1944
Assigned to VMR-952 based in Emirau, Bismarck Archipelago.
December 1944
VMR-952 joins the Transport Air Group, based in Guam, Mariana Islands.
February 1945
Participated with VMR-952 in the battle of Iwo Jima.
May 1945
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-35.
July 1945
Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.
9 November 1945
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), Marine Fleet Air West Coast.
February 1946
Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.
March 1946
Assigned to MAG-35 Service Squadron (Servron-35).
26 June 1946
Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-24 based in Beiping, China.
April 1948
Assigned to MAG-11 Fleet Air Support Squadron (Fasron-11) based at Pearl Harbor, HI.
May 1948
Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.
August 1948
Assigned to NAS Columbus, OH.
June 1957 to December 1957
N4093A - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)
12 February 1958
Purchased and converted to CW-20T.
December 1957 to January 1958
LV-PHD - TSA (TRANSCONTINENTAL SA) (ARGENTINA)
December 1957
Purchased and given a temporary registration ("pasavante").
January 1958 to December 1961
LV-FTS - TSA (TRANSCONTINENTAL SA) (ARGENTINA)
30 January 1958
Reregistered.
13 May 1958
Incident at Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina. [?]
2 December 1958
On approach to Buenos Aires Ezeiza, Argentina, the undercarriage failed to come down. The airplane had to circle two hours before landing safely (0/42 fatalities).
23 January 1960
Accident in Cordoba, Argentina. [?]
Right: a poor quality, albeit rare, shot of LV-FTS boarding passengers.
Photo credit: Linea ALA blogspot
December 1961 to February 1962
LV-FTS - ALA (AUSTRAL LINEAS AEREAS) (ARGENTINA)
22 December 1961
Leased from Transcontinental.
February 1962 to June 1962
LV-FTS - TSA (TRANSCONTINENTAL SA) (ARGENTINA)
13 February 1962
Returned from lease contract and withdrawn from use.
26 June 1962
Certificate of airworthiness expired.
Transcontinental had ceased operations in November 1961, and closed down in August 1962. It is unlikely that the Commando flew again.
Last edited: 25/01/2019