Commando 42-96600

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96600

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30262

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU798

FATE: Written off

  July 1944 to 1955

  42-96600 - USAAF (USA)

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13 July 1944

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

3 August 1944

Assigned to ATC North African Division.

Unknown date

Assigned to Cairo Payne Field, Egypt.

23 July 1946

Condemned for salvage, probably by the Army-Navy Liquidation Commission, but apparently not broken up.

  1955

  N9904F - SANDAY & CO. (USA)

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1955

Purchased.

Ferried from Cairo Payne Field, Egypt to Venice, Italy for overhaul at Officine Aeronavali.

  1955 to December 1955

  N9904F - RIDDLE AIRLINES (USA)

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1955

Purchased.

17 December 1955

Damaged beyond repair near Hollywood, SC after a structural failure in flight (2/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Wilmington, NC and Jacksonville, FL. While in cruising altitude, the aircraft suddenly pitched down, went out of control, dove into the ground and crashed in a cornfield located near Hollywood, SC. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and a post-crash fire, while both crewmen were killed. The accident was caused by an in-flight structural failure resulting from a violent pitch-down induced by the erratic action of nonconforming elevator tab controls.