Commando 43-47182

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47182

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 253

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK230

FATE: Written off

  February 1945 to November 1945

  43-47182 - USAAF (USA)

12 February 1945

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

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command based at Baer Field, IN.

Remained within the continental USA.

  November 1945 to October 1947

  43-47182 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

15 November 1945

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

  October 1947 to April 1950

  N3906B - SLICK AIRWAYS (USA)

31 October 1947

Purchased from RFC or War Assets Administration.

Stored.

7 June 1948

Registered.

18 November 1949

Registration N5213N reserved, apparently by mistake as Slick was unaware the Commando had already been registered.

  April 1950

  N3906B - GORDON SMITH AND CO. (USA)

5 April 1950

Purchased.

  April 1950 to mid-1950

  CB-48 - FRIGORIFICOS BALLIVIAN (BOLIVIA)

10 April 1950

Purchased.

  Mid-1950 to early 1951

  CB-48 - FRIGORIFICO COOPERATIVO LOS ANDES (BOLIVIA)

Mid-1950

Leased from Frigorificos Ballivian.

15 November 1950

Damaged near La Paz, Bolivia in a forced landing after takeoff (0/2 fatalities).

  Early 1951 to February 1951

  CB-48 - FRIGORIFICOS BALLIVIAN (BOLIVIA)

Early 1951

Returned from lease to Frigorifico Cooperativo los Andes.

  February 1951 to March 1951

  CB-48 - GORDON SMITH AND CO. (USA)

23 February 1951

Purchased.

  March 1951 to July 1951

  N3906B - DASCOMP AIRCRAFT SUPPLIES (USA)

7 March 1951

Purchased.

12 March 1951

Registered.

  July 1951 to September 1969

  PP-VCA - VARIG (BRAZIL)

31 July 1951

Purchased, with Don Cardiff acting as agent for Dascomp.

15 December 1951

Registered.

20 February 1958

Damaged in Rio Grande, Brazil after veering into a ditch on landing.

November 1961

Converted to Super 46C.

29 July 1968

Damaged in Maceio, Brazil in a takeoff accident.

The Commando burst a tire during takeoff, veered off the runway and nosed over.

10 September 1969

Registration cancelled, exported to the USA.

Right: PP-VCA, already a Super 46C, at Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont, Brazil in 1962.
Photo credit: The Samba Collection / AirTeamImages

  September 1969 to July 1970

  N8875 (I) - FLIGHT LEASE INC. (USA)

September 1969

Purchased.

3 June 1970

Registered.

  July 1970 to May 1971

  YV-C-SBQ - ACASA (AEROVIAS CA SERVICIOS APURE) (VENEZUELA)

28 July 1970

Purchased but not taken up.

9 July 1971

Registration cancelled, sale incomplete.

  May 1971 to January 1972

  N8875 (I) - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

10 May 1971

Repossessed.

14 July 1971

Registration restored.

  January 1972 to April 1973

  N8875 (I) - CARGO AIR INC. (USA)

28 January 1972

Purchased.

12 April 1972

Registered.

27 April 1973

Registration cancelled, exported to Haiti.

  April 1973 to October 1978

  HH-221 - AIR HAITI (HAITI)

28 January 1973

Purchased and christened "La Citadella".

Left: HH-221 landing in Miami, FL on 20 April 1974.
Photo credit: R. A. Scholefield / Airliners.net

  October 1978 to December 1980

  HH-AHB - AIR HAITI (HAITI)

5 October 1978

Reregistered.

Right: HH-AHB freshly reregistered, seen in Miami, FL on 30 October 1978.
Photo credit: Danny Grew / AirHistory.net

Below, left: HH-AHB visiting Miami, FL in September 1979.
Photo credit: Dave Richarson / Air Britain

Below, right: the same again in Miami, FL, 1979.
Photo credit: Mick Bajcar / Warbird Registry

Bottom, left: HH-AHB in the cargo area of Miami, FL on 20 April 1980.
Photo credit: Don Gilham / AirHistory.net

Bottom, right: HH-AHB in Miami, FL in July 1980.
Photo credit: Carl Ford / AirTeamImages

  December 1980 to May 1991

  CP-1617 - ELDORADO LTDA. (BOLIVIA)

December 1980

Purchased and christened "El Mestizo".

2 January 1981

Delivered from Miami, FL.

14 May 1991

Damaged beyond repair in Beni, Bolivia in a belly landing (0/5 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a charter passenger flight between Estancia la Esperanza, Bolivia and La Paz El Alto, Bolivia with 2 pilots and 3 passengers onboard. While climbing through 5,000ft, the right engine failed. The aircraft could not maintain altitude and the crew elected to divert to nearby Beni. They performed a belly landing there, and slid on the runway before coming to a stop. All five occupants were unhurt but the aircraft was written off.

Right & below: this fantastic photo shoot of CP-1617 taken at La Paz in October 1988 shows the operating conditions faced by Commando crews in Bolivia.
Photo credit: Manfred Poznanski / www.pozefilm.de