Commando 43-47122

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-55-CK Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47122

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 193

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK170

FATE: Written off

  January 1945 to April 1946

  43-47122 - USAAF (USA)

12 January 1945

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Louisville, KY.

11 February 1945

Assigned to ATC India-China Division.

Unknown date

Assigned to Karachi, Sindh, India.

   April 1946 to March 1956

  43-47122 - INDIAN GOVERNMENT (INDIA)

10 April 1946

Purchased.

  March 1956 to July 1956

  N7773B - AMERICAN AIRMOTIVE CORPORATION (USA)

March 1956

Purchased.

Refurbished and ferried to the USA.

  July 1956 to October 1956

  N7773B - L & J TRADING COMPANY (USA)

July 1956

Purchased.

22 October 1956

Registered.

  October 1956 to November 1956

  YV-C-ERD - RANSA (RUTAS AEREAS NACIONALES SA) (VENEZUELA)

October 1956

Leased from L & J Trading. [possibly not taken up]

  November 1956 to January 1957

  N7773B - L & J TRADING COMPANY (USA)

November 1956

End of lease contract with RANSA.

2 November 1956

Registration cancelled, exported to Argentina.

  January 1957 to February 1957

  LV-PCU - TSA (TRANSCONTINENTAL SA) (ARGENTINA)

January 1957

Purchased and assigned a temporary import registration ("pasavante").

Right: LV-PCU, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: unknown / Facebook

  February 1957 to June 1961

  LV-FTO - TSA (TRANSCONTINENTAL SA) (ARGENTINA)

4 February 1957

Reregistered.

10 February 1958

Incident at Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina.

8 February 1959

Incident at Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina (1 fatality).

10 October 1959

Received major damage in Cordoba, Argentina in a landing accident.

The Commando's left main landing gear collapsed during landing in Cordoba, Argentina.

Repaired.

February 1961

Certificate of airworthiness extended to 30 September 1961 following a 6,000-hours inspection.

28 May 1961

Left engine change, and last recorded maintenance inspection.

30 June 1961

Damaged beyond repair on approach to Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina in a CFIT (24/35 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a scheduled passenger flight between Cordoba and Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina with 4 crewmembers and 31 passengers onboard. It took off in the early evening from Cordoba. Approaching Buenos Aires at night, the crew was cleared to perform an instrument approach for runway 12, as the weather was 4 km visibility in rain and overcast ceiling at 300 ft. However, 1300 meters before the runway threshold, the aircraft struck an 8-meter high railroad signal which tore off the right wingtip. The aircraft veered 45° to the right, hit trees and telephone lines, and crashed in a public area where it caught fire due to fuel spillage. The two pilots and 22 passengers died.

The final accident report concluded that, contrary to ATC instructions, the crew was in fact conducting a visual approach in low IMC conditions which led to controlled flight into terrain.

Total airframe time 8,926 hours.

Left: LV-FTO apparently having its right outer wing changed.
Photo credit: Edgardo Luzzi / ATVLA