Commando 42-96715

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

  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[withdrawn from use & stored in 1965 according to PL, but Lloyd went bankrupt on 22 April 1960 due to this crash and the one of another Commando in Bogota on 19 April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 date

  ????? - UNKNOWN (USA)

1970

Purchased. [according to AB]