Commando 42-61073
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-41-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-61073
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26948
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU588
FATE: Written off
Operational Record
Unknown date to May 1944
42-61073 - CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION (USA)
Unknown date
Transferred from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY to the one in Louisville, KY.
May 1944 to March 1946
42-61073 - USAAF (USA)
4 May 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Louisville, KY.
1 June 1944
Assigned to ATC Central African Wing.
6 July 1944
Received major damage in Maiduguri, Nigeria in a landing accident.
Pilot: Wayne L. McCane
26 July 1945
Assigned to Morrison Field, FL.
March 1946 to 1947
42-61073 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
26 March 1946
Transferred to RFC, stored at Ontario AAF, CA.
1948
Late 1948 to 1956
RX-133 (II) - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)
1948
Reregistered following the crash of RX-133 (I).
1959 to January 1960
F-OBKA - AIR CAMEROUN (FRENCH CAMEROON)
1959
Purchased.
October 1959
Overhauled and converted to CW-20T by SFERMA at Bordeaux Merignac, France.
January 1960 to 1967
F-OBKA - AIR CAMEROUN (CAMEROON)
1 January 1960
Transferred following Cameroon’s independence from France.
23 March 1960
Damaged in Fort Lamy, Chad, French Equatorial Africa in an accident. Repaired.
February 1967
Registration cancelled.
1967 to 1970
1970
CP-855 - EMPRESA INDUSTRIA GANADERA (BOLIVIA)
1970
Purchased by Lizardo Barrancos and operated by Empresa Industria Ganaderia.
1970 to 1971
CP-855 - FRIGORIFICO SANTA ANA (BOLIVIA)
1970
Operated by Frigorificos Santa Ana, still owned by Lizardo Barrancos.
1971 to June 1975
CP-855 - FRIGORIFICO SANTA RITA (BOLIVIA)
1971
Operated by Frigorifico Santa Rita, still owned by Lizardo Barrancos.
1972
Purchased by Napoleon Calle, still operated by Frigorifico Santa Rita.
9 June 1975
Damaged beyond repair in Riberalta, Bolivia in a landing accident (no fatalities).
The left main gear and tail wheel failed to extend on approach. Attempts to extend the gear manually caused the lever to break. The Commado subsequently landed with the gear partially extended and was damaged beyond repair.
Right: CP-855 at La Paz El Alto Airport, Bolivia in January 1973, wearing the titles of Frigorificos Santa Rita.
Photo credit: Werner Fischdick / ASN
Last edited: 04/01/2024