Commando 42-96701

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96701

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30363

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU899

FATE: Written off

  August 1944 to November 1945

  42-96701 - USAAF (USA)

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7 August 1944

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

Assigned to Reno AAF, NV, probably with the 3^rd Operational Training Unit (3 OTU).

  November 1945 to 1947

  42-96701 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

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8 November 1945

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

  1947 to 1949

  N1830M - AAXICO (USA)

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1947

Purchased from RFC.

  1949 to April 1950

  CU-P267 - TRANSAIRE DE CUBA (CUBA)

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1949

Probably leased.

  April 1950 to June 1950

  N1830M - AAXICO (USA)

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April 1950

Returned from lease with Transaire de Cuba.

  June 1950 to September 1958

  HK-514 - SAM (SOCIEDAD AERONAUTICA DE MEDELLIN) (COLOMBIA)

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June 1950

Purchased.

16 September 1958

Damaged beyond repair in Medellin, Colombia in an emergency landing following an engine failure (0/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Medellin and Bogota. Shortly after taking off from Medellín runway 02, while in the initial climb, the aircraft suffered an engine failure. The crew attempted an emergency landing in a wasteland where the airplane crash landed. Both crew members were uninjured while the Commando was damaged beyond repair.