Commando 42-96738

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96738

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30400

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU936

FATE: Written off

  August 1944 to June 1951

  42-96738 - USAAF (USA)

30 August 1944

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

30 September 1944

Assigned to ATC India-China Division.

14 October 1944

Received major damage in Chengkung, Yunnan, China after an engine failure.

Pilot: Robert B. Friedman

16 October 1944

Assigned to Chungking, Sichuan, China.

30 November 1944

Assigned to ATC India-China Division, Assam Wing, 1328^th AAF Base Unit based in Missamari, Assam, India.

6 February 1945

Received major damage in Jorhat, Assam, India in a midair collision.

Pilot: Richard C. Nurre

23 March 1945

Went missing near Chanyi, Yunnan, China.

Pilot: Charles O. Foster

24 March 1945

Condemned for salvage, “washout”.

[For some reason, resurfaced later: was either found and reinstated (unlikely), or some cn is wrong.]

Unknown date

Assigned to Cairo Payne Field, Egypt.

Condemned for salvage, probably by the Army-Navy Liquidation Commission.

  June 1951 to June 1954

  PP-VBZ - VARIG (BRAZIL)

June 1951

Purchased.

11 June 1951

Ferried from Cairo Payne Field, Egypt to Venice, Italy for overhaul at Officine Aeronavali.

4 June 1954

Damaged beyond repair at Sao Paulo Congonhas, Brazil in a takeoff accident (3/3 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Sao Paulo and Porto Alegre, Brazil with 3 crew onboard. Just after liftoff, the airplane stalled and crashed near the runway end. The aircraft was destroyed and all three crewmembers were killed. It was determined that the crew did not follow the predeparture checklist, and failed to remove the elevator lock prior to takeoff.

[some sources mention direct ownership of this aircraft by Officine Aeronavali]