Commando 41-5171

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-5171

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26373

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU13

FATE: Written off

  September 1942 to December 1943

  41-5171 - USAAF (USA)

17 September 1942

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

Assigned to St Paul Minneapolis, MN, maybe with Northwest Airlines for operational proving flights.

Late 1942

Returned to Curtiss briefly for modifications.

28 May 1943

Assigned to ATC India-China Wing, 29th Transport Group, 99th Transport Squadron, based at Sookerating, Assam, India.

7 November 1943

Went missing near Myitkyina, Burma following an engine failure (1/5 fatality). [MACR 1234]

Crew:
2^nd Lt Joseph E. Parris, Pilot
1^st Lt Paul E. Almand, Co-pilot
2^nd Lt James S. Johnson, Navigator
PFC William J. Flynn, Radio Operator
Corp Charles T. Montagna, Crew Chief

The Commando was operating a flight from Kunming, Yunnan, China to Sookerating, India. After encountering engine problems, the crew elected to bail out. The aircraft went down, and all crew members were captured. 1^st Lt Almand died as a POW in Rangoon, Burma on 31 March 1945. On 21 May 1945 the remainder of the crew were rescued, transferred to the 142^nd General Hospital in India, then returned to the USA.

9 December 1943

Condemned for salvage.