Commando 43-47348

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-60-CK Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47348

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 419

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK396

FATE: Written off

  May 1945

  43-47348 - USAAF (USA)

18 May 1945

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Saint Louis, MO.

  May 1945 to 1947

  43-47348 - ROCAF (REPUBLIC OF CHINA AIR FORCE) (CHINA)

28 May 1945

Departed the USA for China via Karachi, Sindh, India.

Transferred as part of Lend-Lease agreement.

  1947 to December 1949

  XT-114 - CNAC (CHINA NATIONAL AVIATION CORPORATION) (CHINA)

1947

Transferred to CNAC.

Mid-1949

Ferried to Hong Kong after the Nationalist defeat in mainland China.

13 November 1949

Registration certificate suspended by the Nationalist government.

16 November 1949

Impounded by British Authorities under threat from the Communist Chinese government.

  December 1949

  XT-114 - 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 1953

  N8363C - CAT (CIVIL AIR TRANSPORT) (TAIWAN)

19 December 1949

Transferred to CAT.

January 1953

Probably transported on board aircraft carrier CVE-92 Windham Bay from Hong Kong to the USA.

26 February 1953

Registration cancelled.

  1953 to late 1957

  N1381N - NORTHEAST AIRLINES (USA)

1953

Purchased and converted to CW-20T by L. B. Smith Aircraft Corporation in Miami, FL.

Unknown date

Briefly tested with Turbomeca Marbore jet-assited takeoff engine pods.

April 1954

Operated on the Boston, MA to Montreal, QC scheduled passenger route.

30 August 1957

Received major damage following a left engine fire on approach to Boston, MA.

Right: a strikingly shinny N1381N freshly completed as CW-20T for Northeast Airlines, on L. B. Smith ramp in Miami, FL, probably in 1954.
Photo credit: National Air and Space Museum Archives

Below: N1381N seen in Boston, MA online Northeast, date unknown.
Photo credit: George Hamlin, Hurley Collection / AviaDejaVu

  Late 1957 to unknown date

  N1381N - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

2 January 1957

Purchased. [dates discrepancy]

  Unknown date to January 1959

  N1381N - QUAKER CITY AIRWAYS (USA)

Unknown date

Probably leased from L. B. Smith Aircraft Corporation. [lease dates are uncertain, and could be anywhere between 1954 and 1959]

16 February 1959

Registration cancelled, exported to Argentina.

Right: N1381N in Quaker City Airways livery on L. B. Smith's ramp in Miami, FL, date unknown.
Photo credit: National Air and Space Museum Archives

  January 1959 to March 1959

  LV-PMA - COMPANIA AUSTRAL DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS SACI (ARGENTINA)

January 1959

Purchased and assigned a temporary registration.

  March 1959 to November 1966

  LV-GGL - COMPANIA AUSTRAL DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS SACI (ARGENTINA)

19 March 1959

Reregistered and christened “Patolile”.

Left: Patolile in the early Austral paint scheme.
Photo credit: NA3T

  November 1966

  LV-GGL - AEROTRANSPORTES LITORAL ARGENTINO (ARGENTINA)

24 November 1966

Transferrd to as part of the merger between ALA and Austral, and painted with ALA titles.

9 July 1970

Damaged beyond repair in an accident in Trelew, Argentina.

Below left: LV-GGL in the ALA livery taking off from Buenos Aires Aeroparque, Argentina, 1968.
Photo credit: Dad Baires Aviation Photography / Airliners.net

Below right: LV-GGL receiving maintenance somewhere in Argentina, unknown date.
Photo credit: Loudandclearisnotenought Blog