Commando 43-47373

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47373

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 443

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK421

FATE: Written off

  June 1945 to January 1946

  43-47373 - USAAF (USA)

13 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.

  January 1946 to April 1948

  43-47373 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

27 January 1946

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

  April 1948 to March 1950

  N95450 - CARIBBEAN AMERICAN AIRLINES (NORTH STAR) (USA)

28 April 1948

Registered.

  March 1950

  N95450 - DONALD "DON" L. CARDIFF (USA)

April 1950

Purchased.

17 April 1950

Registration cancelled, exported to Brazil.

  March 1950 to September 1950

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

23 March 1950

Purchased via Vallvas Importacao Exportacao e Comercio Ltda

Assigned a temporary import registration.

  September 1950 to 1954

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

1 September 1950

Assigned a permanent registration.

20 August 1953

Received major damage at Corumba, Brazil in a landing accident (3/4 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight with 4 crewmembers onboard. It attempted a landing at Corumba, Brazil, which some sources state was an emergency landing - thence, Corumba was possibly not the original destination, but a diversion airport where the crew tried to land with technical issues. As they did so, they overshot the runway, tried to go around, but stalled and crashed. A fired erupted in the wreckage, and only one crewmember survived.

1954

Registration cancelled.

  1954 to November 1956

  N????? - HOWARD J. KORTH (USA)

1954

Purchased, probably as a wreckage.

Repaired.

  November 1956 to April 1957

  CC-CNC-0466 - TRANSA CHILE (CHILE)

November 1956

Purchased.

11 April 1957

Damaged beyond repair near Arica, Chile in an emergency landing.

The Commando was operating a flight between Arica and Santiago, Chile with a load of 40 Vespa motorbikes, 60 bicycles and other cargo. During the initial part of the flight, a fire erupted and the crew elected to return to Arica. After the emergency landing, all crewmembers successfully escaped, but the wreckage was consumed by fire.