Commando 42-96715
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-45-CU Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96715
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30377
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU913
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
August 1944 to November 1945
42-96715 - USAAF (USA)
18 August 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command, based at Baer Field, IN.
November 1945 to April 1948
42-96715 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
6 November 1945
Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.
April 1948 to October 1948
NC51385 - UNITED SERVICES FOR AIR INC. (USA)
5 April 1948
Purchased from RFC.
October 1948 to December 1949
XT-166 - CNAC (CHINA NATIONAL AVIATION CORPORATION) (CHINA)
28 October 1948
Purchased.
May 1949
Ferried to Hong Kong after the Nationalist defeat in mainland China, and impounded by British Authorities under threat from the Communist Chinese government.
13 November 1949
Registration certificate suspended by the Nationalist government.
December 1949
XT-166 - CLAIRE L. CHENNAULT & WHITING WILLAUER (USA)
12 December 1949
Purchased by Claire Chennault & Whiting Willauer, managers of CAT – while still grounded at Hong Kong Kai Tak. This was part of an attempt supported by the US State Department to regain ownership of several CNAC & CATC aircraft.
December 1949 to May 1955
N8384C - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)
19 December 1949
Transferred to CAT.
May 1955 to 1957
N1377N - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)
May 1955
Reregistered. [date uncertain, as this registration was cancelled on 26 February 1953 according to AV.CA]
1957 to 1970
HK-870 - LLOYD AEREO COLOMBIANO (COLOMBIA)
1957
Purchased and christened “Santa Brigada”.
17 April 1960
Damaged at Bogota El Dorado, Colombia in a belly landing (no fatalities).
The Commando was operating a scheduled passenger flight [probably from Miami, FL] to Bogota. On approach, the landing gear failed to come down and a belly landing was performed. The newly-opened airport was closed for over 24 hours pending removal of the wreckage.
Probably never flew again.
[withdrawn from use & stored in 1965 according to PL, but Lloyd went bankrupt on 22 April 1960 due to this crash and the one of another Commando in Bogota on 19 April 1960…]
Right: HK-870 abandonned in the grass of Bogota El Dorado after its belly landing.
Photo credit: Jaime Escobar Collection / www.aviacol.net
1970 to unknown dateLast edited: 19/08/2020