Commando 42-96768

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96768

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30430

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU966

FATE: Written off

  September 1944 to October 1945

  42-96768 - USAAF (USA)

7 September 1944

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

Assigned to the 1^st Operational Training Unit (1 OTU), C Squadron, based at the 561^st AAF Base Unit, Rosecrans Field, MO.

2 January 1945

Damaged at Rosecrans Field, MO in a landing accident.

Pilot: John H. Hudson

  October 1945 to 1949

  42-96768 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

25 October 1945

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

  1949 to November 1953

  N51424 - AAXICO (USA)

1949

Purchased from RFC.

1953

Withdrawn from use.

  Early 1950's

  N51424 - TALOA (TRANSOCEAN AIR LINES) (USA)

Several sources quote this Commando as being with TALOA from 1949 to 1954, with photographic support [Aerobernie, RZ, taloa.org]. According to the latter, N51424 was deployed in TALOA’s mid-east operations. However photos of a groundloop in the snow seem to suggest that the aircraft was rather used on the PET4 operation (Navy Petroleum District Number 4) flying between Fairbanks and Barrows, AK between 1950 and 1952. Was the Commando on lease from AAXICO at the time? Information is welcome.

Right & below: N51424 in TALOA colors groundlooped at an unknown date in a place that looks like northern Alaska.
Photo credit: unknown / www.taloa.org

  November 1953 to November 1954

  N51424 - RESORT AIRLINES (USA)

November 1953

Purchased.

  November 1954 to 1955

  N51424 - FEDERATED AIRLINES (USA)

November 1954

Purchased.

Below: N51424 in Federated Airlines colors, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: Ed Coates / www.edcoatescollection.com

  1955 to April 1955

  N51424 - CAPITOL AIR (USA)

1955

Purchased.

2 April 1955

Destroyed at sea off Pensacola, FL following a loss of control in bad weather (2/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight from Brookley AFB, AL to Robins AFB, GA. While cruising over the Gulf of Mexico, the crew encountered very poor weather conditions. In thunderstorm activity, the airplane went out of control and crashed into the sea off Pensacola. The aircraft was destroyed and both pilots were killed.