Commando 41-5178
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 41-5178
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26380
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU20
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
October 1942 to June 1946
41-5178 - USAAF (USA)
12 October 1942
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
Assigned to New York LaGuardia, NY.
Late 1942
Returned to Curtiss briefly for modifications.
29 May 1943
Assigned to ATC Alaskan Wing.
16 January 1944
Assigned to 3rd Operational Training Unit (3 OTU), based at Reno AAF, NV.
June 1946 to 1948
41-5178 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
5 June 1946
Transferred to RFC, stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.
1948 to October 1950
N74698 - UNITED AERO SERVICE INC. (USA)
1948
Purchased from RFC and stored.
26 October 1950
Registration cancelled, exported to Ecuador.
October 1950 to March 1953
HC-SJA - AREA ECUADOR (AEROVIAS ECUATORIANAS CA) (ECUADOR)
October 1950
Purchased. [this aircraft was probably operated by Transandina before being transferred to AREA during the 1949 ATECA - Transandina merger]
27 March 1953
Damaged beyond repair at Panama Tocumen, Panama in a landing accident (no fatalities).
The Commando was operating a commercial flight between Miami, FL and Panama. During landing, the landing gear collapsed and the aircraft skidded off the runway into a ravine. All occupants could escape before the wreckage got consumed by fire.
Last edited: 08/01/2024