The Curtiss Commando Page
The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 43-47367

Aircraft Identification

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47367

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 438 (I) [this contruction number was assigned twice in a row in error]

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK415

FATE: Unknown

Operational Record

  June 1945 to October 1945

  43-47367 - USAAF (USA)


2 June 1945

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

Assigned to the 1st Operational Training Unit (1 OTU) based at Rosecrans Field, MO.

Remained within the Continental USA.

  October 1945 to 1947

  43-47367 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)


25 October 1945

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

  1947 to March 1948

  N67920 - CHARLES E. MATHEWS & CO. (USA)


1947

Purchased from RFC.

  March 1948 to October 1948

  PP-XBU - COMPANHIA ITAU DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


9 March 1948

Purchased and assigned a temporary import registration.

  October 1948 to October 1955

  PP-ITB - COMPANHIA ITAU DE TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


7 October 1948

Assigned a permanent registration.

  October 1955 to August 1956

  PP-ITB - TAN (TRANSPORTES AEREOS NACIONAL) (BRAZIL)


October 1955

Transferred as Itau was taken over by TAN.

  August 1956 to August 1961

  PP-ITB - REAL TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)


August 1956

Transferred as TAN was taken over by REAL.

Probably continued operating in TAN colors.

31 July 1959

Received major damage near Niquelandia, Brazil in a forced landing (0/3 fatalities). [not near Sao Bentinho, Paraiba, Brazil as ASN suggests]

The Commando was operating a night cargo flight between Manaus and Brasilia, Brazil with three crewmembers onboard. Some 150 km before destination, the aircraft ran out of fuel for unknown reasons. The crew had to carry out a forced belly landing.

Repaired.

  August 1961 to September 1967

  PP-ITB - VARIG (BRAZIL)


August 1961

Transferred as REAL was taken over by Varig.

 

Right: PP-ITB now with Varig, at Sao Paulo Congonhas, Brazil in the mid-1960's.
Photo credit: Vito Cedrini / Airliners.net

  September 1967 to March 1972

  HC-ANB - CIASA (COMPANIA INTERNACIONAL AEREA SA) (ECUADOR)


September 1967

Purchased.

March 1972

Withdrawn from used and stored in Guayaquil, Ecuador. [or WFU in July 1974 and stored in Quito, Ecuador according to other sources]

Fate unknown.

 

Left: much of Varig's paint scheme was kept in HC-ANB's early CIASA livery. Unknown date & location.
Photo credit: unknown / Instagram

Below: HC-ANB in its final colors, seen at Quito Mariscal Sucre, Ecuador probably in the early 1970's.
Photo credit: Michel Anciaux / AviationRainbows.com

Last edited: 27/08/2023