Commando 42-3580

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-35-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-3580

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26713

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU353

FATE: Written off

  December 1943 to January 1944

  42-3580 - CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION (USA)

21 December 1943

Transferred from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY to the one in Louisville, KY.

  January 1944

  42-3580 - USAAF (USA)

11 January 1944

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Louisville, KY.

  January 1944 to unknown date

  39526 - US MARINE CORPS (USA)

17 January 1944

Transferred as R5C-1.

By August 1944

Assigned to VMR-252.

December 1944

Assigned to MAG-15 Service Squadron (Servron-15).

June 1945

Assigned to VMR-253 based in Guam, Mariana Islands.

November 1945

Assigned to MAG-35 Service Squadron (Servron-35).

December 1945

Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-15.

March 1946

Assigned to VMR-352 based at MCAS Ewa, HI.

April 1946

Assigned to Homeland Defense Network (HDN), MAG-15.

June 1946

Assigned to Air Fleet Marine Force, Pacific based at MCAS Ewa, HI.

27 July 1946

Assigned to Pearl Harbor, HI.

19 September 1946

Assigned to NAS San Diego, CA.

28 February 1947

Assigned to NAS Norfolk, VA.

17 March 1947

Assigned to Air Fleet Marine Force, Atlantic.

April 1947

Assigned to VMR-952.

May 1947

Assigned to VMR-252 based at MCAS Cherry Point, NC.

  Unknown date to December 1957

  N4096A - MARCO INDUSTRIES INC. (USA)

Unknown date

Purchased from US Navy.

  December 1957 to April 1958

  N4096A - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

December 1957

Purchased and converted to Super 46C.

  April 1958 to February 1962

  SE-CFD - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)

April 1958

Purchased.

27 April 1958

Delivered in Miami, FL. Total airframe time 3,732 hours.

30 April 1958

Arrived in Malmo, Sweden.

17 November 1960

Damaged in Southend, UK after a runway overrun on landing.

Right: the Southend, UK crowd watches Transair’s SE-CFD taxiing by. The company used Commandos on the Southend cargo route until approximately 1960, when they replaced them with DC-6s.
Photo credit: Jim Brazier / Southend Airport Aviation Database

Below: two nice color shots of SE-CFD visiting Basel, Switzerland in 1959.
Photo credit: Peter Frei / bsl-mlh-planes.net

Bottom: SE-CFD, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: C-46 Commando Group / Facebook

  February 1962 to June 1963

  SE-CFD - ONUC (UNITED NATIONS OPERATION IN THE CONGO)

February 1962

Leased by Transair Sweden to the United Nations mission in Congo.

18 February 1962

Delivered from Malmo, Sweden to Leopoldville, Congo.

  June 1963 to November 1963

  SE-CFD - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)

29 June 1963

Left Leopoldville, Congo for Venice, Italy – end of lease contract with the United Nations.

Overhauled by Officine Aeronavali.

Unknown date

Returned to Malmo, Sweden.

  November 1963 to June 1964

  SE-CFD - CONGO GOVERNMENT (CONGO LEOPOLDVILLE)

29 November 1963

Leased by Transair Sweden to the Congo Government, operated under the Transair Congo brand.

  June 1964 to July 1965

  SE-CFD - TRANSAIR SWEDEN (SWEDEN)

5 June 1964

End of lease contract with the Congo Government, returned to Malmo, Sweden.

Left: SE-CFD sitting idle in Malmo, Sweden on 24 August 1964 after returning from its Congolese lease contracts.
Photo credit: Neil Aird

  July 1965 to November 1966

  SE-CFD - TOR-AIR (SWEDEN)

8 July 1965

Purchased.

Below, left: a nice view at Tor-Air’s Viking head logo on the picture of SE-CFD taken on 8 May 1966.
Photo credit: Ralf Manteufel / Air Britain

Below, right: Tor-Air’s SE-CFD facing the runways at Manchester airport, UK.
Photo credit: Velton / Flickr

  November 1966 to December 1967

  SE-CFD - FAIRLINE (SWEDEN)

November 1966

Purchased.

Repainted in Malmo, Sweden with a blue tail and orange sidelines.

Early January 1967

Entered service.

28 March 1967

Operated Fairline’s last revenue flight on the Malmo-Southend-Amsterdam-Malmo cargo route. After landing, all Fairline activities were discontinued.

Below, left: SE-CFD on a cargo run in Southend, UK. Fairline’s Commandos would often replace Transair’s airplanes on this run when they were very busy.
Photo credit: Peter Brown / Southend Airport Aviation Database

Below, right: SE-CFD on a spotover in Amsterdam Schiphol, circa 1967.
Photo credit: Nico Terlouw

  December 1967 to February 1968

  9Q-CRP - ANSTALT WIGMO (CONGO KINSHASA)

December 1967

Purchased by Aero Suppliers Establishment, Liechtenstein at an auction along with sistership SE-CFA / 42-96821.

Operated in Congo by Anstalt Wigmo, in support of the Congolese Air Force against Simba rebels and the Angolese FNLA against Angola’s communist government.

23 January 1968

Delivered to Kinshasa, Congo from Malmo, Sweden.

Natural metal livery with a white top extending to below the windows, red prop spinners. Normal-sized registration on the rear fuselage, along with national insignia.

Cargo door enlarged to enable it to carry vehicles.

  February 1968 to April 1969

  9T-PLJ - ANSTALT WIGMO (CONGO KINSHASA)

February 1968

Received a military registration.

16 April 1969

Damaged beyond repair near Kinshasa, Zaire in an accident after takeoff (45/45 fatalities).

Pilot: Ragne Moller

The Commando was operating a military flight from Kinshasa Ndjili to Kananga and Mbuji-Mayi, Zaire with three crewmembers and 42 Congolese soldiers. The aircraft suffered an undercarriage malfunction soon after airborne. The pilot requested to return to Ndjili but the Commando later crashed in the Zaire river with the loss of all onboard. The cause of the crash was never fully established, but there was speculation that some of the passengers may have panicked and tried opening the door while in flight, upsetting the balance of the aircraft.