Commando 42-101167

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-101167

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30622

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1158

FATE: Written off

  October 1944 to April 1946

  42-101167 - USAAF (USA)

5 October 1944

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

Assigned to the 4^th Combat Cargo Group, 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron based at Bowman Field, KY.

18 November 1944

Ferried out of Morrison Field, FL toward Sylhet, Bengal, India.

Crew:
Capt. Leslie W. Bray, Pilot
2^nd Lt. Louis F. Valentour Jr., Copilot
Cpl. Robert E. L. White, Crew Chief
Sgt. Milton Kelbick, Radio Operator

4 December 1944

Ferried through Karachi, Sindh, India.

Early December 1944

Assigned to Sylhet, Bengal, India with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

Late December 1944

Moved to Agartala, Tripura, India with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

January 1945

Moved to Chittagong, Bengal, India with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

June 1945

Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

September 1945

Moved to Ledo, Assam, India with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

October 1945

Moved to Namponmao, Burma with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

November 1945

Moved to RAF Ondal, Bengal, India with the 16^th Combat Cargo Squadron.

   April 1946 to September 1954

  42-101167 - INDIAN GOVERNMENT (INDIA)

10 April 1946

Purchased.

   September 1954 to November 1954

  42-101167 - BANWARI LAL & CO. (INDIA)

September 1954

Purchased.

  November 1954 to March 1955

  N75293 - NORMAN KORER (USA)

22 November 1954

Purchased by Norman Korer, Chicago, IL of the Airline Investment Corporation.

10 December 1954

Registered.

2 February 1955

Delivered from India via Fortaleza, Brazil by Chartair Inc..

30 March 1955

Registration cancelled, exported to Colombia.

[reregistered N2021A in early 1955 according to most sources, however no trace exists in FAA records and aircraft was exported to Colombia directly as N75293]

  March 1955 to November 1964

  HK-400 (I) - AEROCONDOR (COLOMBIA)

[Commando 44-78645 later bore the same Colombian registration, that we designated HK-400 (II)]

2 March 1955

Purchased by Julio M. Florez, one of the six founders of Aerocondor.

14 July 1957

Received major damage in Barranquilla, Colombia in a belly landing (0/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Bogota Techo and Barranquilla, Colombia. It landed in Barranquilla on the belly following the failure of the undercarriage.

Repaired.

9 November 1964

Damaged beyond repair in Barranquilla, Colombia in a takeoff accident (no fatalities).

During takeoff from Barranquilla, the Commando went out of control and crashed. The crew escaped unijured before a fire broke up in the wreckage.

Right: a newspaper cut describing the 14 July 1957 accident of HK-400 (I) in Barranquilla.
Photo credit: El Tiempo, 16 July 1957