Commando 42-96804
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-50-CU Commando
USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-96804
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 30466
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1002
FATE: Written off
Operational Record
September 1944 to February 1946
42-96804 - USAAF (USA)
25 September 1944
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
13 October 1944
Assigned to ATC Central African Division.
22 July 1945
Assigned to Gore Field, MT.
February 1946 to November 1947
42-96804 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
20 February 1946
Transferred to RFC and stored at Ontario AAF, CA.
November 1947 to 1948
N8394C - PRIVATE (USA)
6 November 1947
Purchased from RFC by William C. Willcox.
1948 to December 1949
XT-??? - CNAC (CHINA NATIONAL AVIATION CORPORATION) (CHINA)
1948
Leased from William C. Willcox.
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-??? - 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 March 1950
N8394C - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)
19 December 1949
Transferred to CAT.
May 1950 to late 1950
HK-331 - LANSA (LINEAS AEREAS NACIONALES SA) (COLOMBIA)
31 May 1950
Delivered in Barranquilla, Colombia and operated in cargo configuration.
Late 1950 to November 1951
HK-331 - LIDCA (LINEAS AEREAS DEL CARIBE) (COLOMBIA)
1950
Purchased.
1 January 1951
Received major damage at Madrid AB, Colombia. [according to AB only – this could be a mix-up with HK-311, a LANSA DC3 that crash-landed at Madrid AB on 31 January 1951]
December 1951
N3944C - CONTINENTAL CHARTERS (USA)
1 December 1951
Leased from Carmas Supply Corporation.
5 December 1951
Delivered.
29 December 1951
Damaged beyond repair near Salamanca, NY in a CFIT (26/40 fatalities).
The Commando was operating a non-scheduled passenger flight between Miami, FL and Buffalo, NY with an intermediate stop in Pittsburgh, PA. After a seven-hour delay in Miami due to mechanical problems, the aircraft arrived safe but very late in Pittsburgh. Despite IMC conditions, crew elected to depart to Buffalo under night VFR; this allowed to make up the lost time by avoiding refueling and flying a more direct route.
The Commando departed Pittsburgh at 21:47 LT with 4 crew and 36 passengers. The crew had to fly very low to remain under the clouds, and it slowly drifted east of the direct route toward the Allagheny Mountains. The aircraft ended up striking trees at the top of the 2,375 feet high Bucktooth Ridge near Little Valley, NY, and disintegrated upon impact. Only the tail section was intact, containing 14 injured survivors. These had to wait for 48 hours at the crash site in freezing temperatures and chest-high snow before being rescued.
As a result of this accident, the CAB imposed strict regulations on night VFR passenger flights in large airplanes from March 1952.
Right: part of N3944C’s wreckage as found in New York’s forest.
Photo credit: unknown / BAAA
However, the history of 42-96804 does not stop there. N3944C is latter found belonging to Geneva M. Conner, then Riddle Airlines, Airlift International and several smaller US non-skeds. This seems highly unlikely, as this Commando was thoroughly destroyed on the night of 29 December 1951, as the above picture shows. AB also mentions that Riddle’s aircraft was a former US Marine Corps Commando, but that it may have contained a substantial amount of parts from 42-96804 – one has to wonder about which parts could be salvaged from the above wreckage, though.
Another, more plausible scenario is that registration N3944C was attributed a second time to a former US Marine Corps Commando that got released from service around 1952, and ended up in Riddle. Which Commando that is remains a mystery.
Last edited: 19/08/2020