Commando 43-47183

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

  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.]

  May 1948 to unknown date

  N3930C - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

---

10 May 1948

Purchased.

  Unknown dates

  N3930C - PRIVATE (USA)

---

Unknown date

Purchased, or possibly leased by Ben TERRY of Miami, FL.

  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