Commando 42-96688

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96688

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30350

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU886

FATE: Written off

  July 1944 to October 1944

  42-96688 - CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION (USA)

31 July 1944

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

  October 1944 to January 1946

  42-96688 - USAAF (USA)

10 October 1944

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

Assigned to Air Transport Command, based at Baer Field, IN.

2-3 November 1944

Participated in the Airborne Show at Washington National, DC.

Unknown date

Assigned to 813^th AAF Base Unit, B Squadron based at Sedalia AAF, MO.

5 May 1945

Damaged at Sedalia AAF, MO in a ground accident due to a mechanical failure.

Pilot: Bill C. Marler

Below: 42-96688 during the Airborne Show at Washington National Airport, DC on 2-3 November 1944.
Photo credit: USAF Museum

  January 1946 to 1949

  42-96688 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

28 January 1946

Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.

  1949 to February 1950

  N51360 - SUN CHEMICAL CORPORATION (USA)

1949

Purchased from RFC.

  February 1950 to October 1950

  PP-XCU - LOIDE AEREO NACIONAL (BRAZIL)

14 February 1950

Purchased and given an import registration (“pasavante”).

  October 1950 to December 1958

  PP-LDH - LOIDE AEREO NACIONAL (BRAZIL)

7 October 1950

Reregistered.

  December 1958 to January 1959

  PP-BTG - PARAENSE TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)

3 December 1958

Purchased.

6 January 1959

Damaged beyond repair at Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont, Brazil in a landing overrun (0/5 fatalities).

Due to foggy conditions, Santos Dumont Airport was closed to traffic and the crew diverted to Galeao Airport where the passengers were disembarked. When weather conditions improved, the crew was able to complete a short ferry flight back from Galeao to Santos Dumont. After touching down on runway 02, the airplane was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran and plunged into Guanabara Bay. All five crew members were injured and the aircraft was lost. The cause of the accident was attributed to the crew landing too far down the runway.

The Commando was still registered PP-LDH at the time of the accident.

7 January 1959

Registered but not taken up.