Commando 43-47372

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47372

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 442

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK420

FATE: Written off

  June 1945 to January 1946

  43-47372 - USAAF (USA)

11 June 1945

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

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

Remained within the Continental USA.

26 November 1945

Damaged at Charleston AAF, SC in a ground accident.

Pilot: Bernard N. Hayen (survived)

  January 1946 to 1949

  43-47372 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

28 January 1946

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

  1949 to July 1958

  HI-16 - DOMINICANA DE AVIACION (DOMINICAN REPUBLIC)

1949

Purchased and christened "San Cristobal".

17 July 1958

Damaged beyond repair at Ciudad Trujillo General Andrews, Dominican Republic in an accident during climbout (2/2 fatalities). ICAO Accident Report

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Ciudad Trujillo General Andrews, Dominican Republic [Santo Domingo] and Miami, FL with two pilots onboard. The aircraft took off at 0715 LT from runway 23 as Flight 402. Just after airborne, about 150ft above the runway, the airplane suddenly veered to the left and stalled, crashing 100 meters to the left of the runway between 60 and 90 meters before the end of the runway. Both crewmembers were killed and the wreckage burnt in a post-crash fire.

The accident was initially caused by a failure of the left engine, and the subsequent pilot reactions to it. They initially reduced power in an attempt to make a belly landing on the remaining runway, but then decided to resume normal flight by applying full power. In the process, the right propeller went into overspeed and the aircraft started strongly yawing left until control was lost.

Below: two shots of HI-16 in the classic Dominicana livery, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: AGN & unknown respectively

Bottom left: several Dominicana Commandos, including HI-16 in the foreground, on the ramp of the old General Andrews airport.
Photo credit: AGN

Bottom right: the tail of HI-16 after the July 1958 crash.
Photo credit: BAAA-ACRO