Commando 43-47183
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-55-CK Commando
USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47183
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 254
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK231
FATE: Written off
Operational Record
February 1945 to November 1945
43-47183 - USAAF (USA)
16 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 1947
43-47183 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)
6 November 1945
Transferred to RFC and stored at Walnut Ridge AAF, AR.
1947 to early 1948
XB-LIU (I) - COOPERATIVA DE LA INDUSTRIA PESQUERA (MEXICO)
1947
Purchased from RFC.
Early 1948 to May 1948
XA-JUG - PRIVATE (MEXICO)
1948
Purchased by William C. STEVENS of New Orleans, LA.
May 1948
N79086 - PRIVATE (USA)
May 1948
Reregistered, still to William C. STEVENS.
[Perhaps William C. STEVENS instead purchased 43-47183 directly from RFC and leased it out for a short while to Cooperativa Industria de Pesquera - which would have been closer to his usual business model.]
Unknown date to August 1951
N3930C - NATS (NATIONWIDE AIR TRANSPORT SERVICE) (USA)
Unknown date
Purchased, or possibly leased by NATS.
23 January 1953
Registration cancelled.
August 1951 to May 1970
YV-C-AMK - LAV (LINEA AEROPOSTAL VENEZOLANA) (VENEZUELA)
August 1951
Purchased.
18 October 1951
Registered.
23 May 1970
Damaged beyond repair at sea off Puntarenas, Costa Rica (7/7 fatalities). [erroneously quoted as 22 May 1970]
The Commando was operating a maintenance flight out of San Jose Juan Santamaria International, Costa Rica after having received repairs at COOPESA (Cooperativa de Servicios Aeroindustriales), a local maintenance facility. The crew was composed of 4 LAV crewmembers and 3 COOPESA employees. At 1120 LT, while flying a kilometer off the coast, one of the engine started trailing smoke. Soon thereafter, the aircraft dove into the Pacific Ocean and exploded on impact. All seven occupants were killed.
Above, left: YV-C-AMK seen in Maiquetia, Venezuela, unknown date.
Photo credit: Cecil883 / Flickr
Above, right: the same, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: unknown
Right: an article about YV-C-AMK's fatal crash in Costa Rican newspaper La Nacion on 24 May 1970.
Photo credit: Google News
Last edited: 30/07/2021