The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 42-96729

Aircraft Identification

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96729

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30391

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU927

FATE: Preserved

Operational Record

  September 1944 to September 1947

  42-96729 - USAAF (USA)


September 1944

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

  September 1947 to July 1959

  42-96729 - USAF (USA)


18 September 1947

Transferred.

Unknown date

Modified by Curtiss-Wright for USAF.

Unknown date

Assigned to the 436th Troop Carrier Group, 81st Troop Carrier Squadron based at Grenier AFB, NH.

Unknown date

Assigned to the 2235th Air Force Reserve Training Center based at Grenier AFB, NH.

9 October 1957

Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

29 January 1958

Sent for reclamation at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

 

Right: inside the cockpit of 42-96729 with an 81st Troop Carrier Squadron crew in the mid-1950’s.
Photo credit: USAF

  July 1959 to October 1959

  N9342R - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)


July 1959

Purchased from USAF.

  October 1959 to October 1960

  N9342R - AIR INTERNATIONAL INC. (USA)


October 1959

Purchased.

  October 1960

  PP-NMJ - NAB (NAVEGACAO AEREA BRASILEIRA) (BRAZIL)


October 1960

Registration alloted, but not taken up.

  October 1960 to late 1961

  N9342R - AIR INTERNATIONAL INC. (USA)


October 1960

Remained with Air International Inc.

27 October 1961

Registration cancelled.

  Late 1961 to July 1968

  CX-BCN - LINEA AEREA RIO PLATENSE (URUGUAY)


Late 1961

Purchased by Compania Transporte SRL to be operated by Linea Aerea Rio Platense.

17 July 1964

Registered, noted equipped with Pratt & Whitney R-2800-75 engines cn FP091725 & FP090787.

11 September 1964

Received minor damage near Santiago del Estero, Argentina in a forced landing.

The Commando suffered an engine fire and the crew decided to attempt a forced landing in a farm named Estancia la Recompensa. After touchdown, it hit a horse and the undercarriage collapsed. It was discovered that the aircraft was carrying contraband, thence it was impounded by Argentinian authorities and the wreckage was essentially left abandoned in Santiago del Estero.

 

Left: CX-BCN seen in February 1964 in the USA.
Photo credit: Collection Nery Mendiburu via Martín Blanco / Linea ALA Blogspot

Below: CX-BCN in Colonia, Uruguay in September 1964. Note the Uruguayan flag on the tail.
Photo credit: Collection Nery Mendiburu via Martín Blanco / Linea ALA Blogspot

  July 1968 to June 1971

  LQ-IYV - FUERZA AEREA ARGENTINA (ARGENTINA)


30 July 1968

Seized by the Argentinian Air Force after a long judicial process. Christened “Huaira Sorckoj”.

Operated in conjuction with the Argentinian Civil Aviation Authority (Direccion Nacional de Aviacion Civil).

Based in Jose C. Paz Air Base, Argentina and later in Mariano Moreno Air Base, Argentina.

5 June 1970

Offered for sale, without success.

 

Above: LQ-IYV restored back to flying conditions with the Argentinian Air Force, loading cargo at Buenos Aires Ezeiza in 1968.
Photo credit: Alex Reinhard – Collection Vladimiro Cettolo / Linea ALA Blogspot

Right: LQ-IYV in Santiago del Estero in the early 1970’s.
Photo credit: Michael Magnusson – Collection Vladimiro Cettolo / Linea ALA Blogspot

  June 1971 to April 1972

  LV-IYV - PROVINCE OF SANTIAGO DEL ESTERO (ARGENTINA)


29 June 1971

Donated. [date also quoted as 23 July 1971]

23 December 1971

Registered, but never applied.

  April 1972 to present

  LV-IYV - EPAC (EMPRESA PROVINCIAL DE AVIACION CIVIL) (ARGENTINA)


12 April 1972

Purchased [or donated?], not airworthy anymore. [date also quoted as 11 April 1972]

Mid 1970’s

Used as a bar in the town of Santiago del Estero.

Late 1970’s

Moved to a public park in the nearby town of Loreto, Argentina for static display. Later squatered and vandalized.

1 September 2008

Moved to another park 1 km north of Loreto, Argentina. Restored back to static display conditions and fixed on a pylon to avoid vandals.

 

Left: LV-IYV displayed in Loreto, Argentina still in good condition as of December 1986.
Photo credit: Vladimir Cettolo / Linea ALA Blogspot

Below, left: the same 19 years later on 21 June 2005 in desperate need of TLC.
Photo credit: Robert Domandl / Airliners.net

Below, right: LQ-IYV in its new home in January 2018, just north of Loreto on Route 9 leading to Santiago del Estero.
Photo credit: Rollout

Last edited: 14/09/2020