Commando 42-61073

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

  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.

  1947 to 1948

  N67923 - ADOLPH "AL" W. SCHWIMMER (USA)

1947

Purchased from RFC.

  1948

  RX-132 (I) - LAPSA (LINEAS AEREAS DE PANAMA SA) (PANAMA)

1948

Purchased.

  1948 to 1956

  RX-132 (I) - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)

1948

Purchased.

  Late 1948 to 1956

  RX-133 (II) - IAF (ISRAELI AIR FORCE) (ISRAEL)

1948

Reregistered following the crash of RX-133 (I).

  1956 to 1959

  N9850F - SANDAY & CO. (USA)

1956

Purchased. [date quoted by AB & PL as 1957]

  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

  N????? - FOUR STAR AVIATION INC. (USA)

1967

Purchased.

  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