Commando 43-47374

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47374

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 444

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK422

FATE: Written off

  June 1945 to January 1946

  43-47374 - USAAF (USA)

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14 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 1947

  43-47374 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

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28 January 1946

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

  1947 to March 1948

  N67919 - CHARLES E. MATHEWS & CO. (USA)

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1947

Purchased from RFC.

  March 1948 to August 1948

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

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9 March 1948

Purchased and assigned a temporary import registration.

Ferried to Brazil.

  August 1948 to October 1955

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

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3 August 1948

Assigned a permanent registration.

  October 1955 to August 1956

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

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October 1955

Transferred as Itau was taken over by TAN.

  August 1956 to August 1961

  PP-ITA - REAL TRANSPORTES AEREOS (BRAZIL)

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August 1956

Transferred as TAN was taken over by REAL.

Probably continued operating in TAN colors.

  August 1961 to March 1968

  PP-ITA - VARIG (BRAZIL)

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August 1961

Transferred as REAL was taken over by Varig.

  March 1968 to 1975

  HK-1322 - ARCA COLOMBIA (COLOMBIA)

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March 1968

Purchased.

 

Left & below: three shots of HK-1322 in ARCA livery, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: Christian Volpati / EXZX Flickr / Airlines-Airliners.com

  1975 to March 1984

  HK-1322 - AEROSUCRE (COLOMBIA)

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1975

Purchased. [also noted by some sources as later registered HK-1322P]

Circa 1982

Converted to Super 46C.

13 March 1984

Damaged beyond repair in Barranquilla, Colombia in a landing accident (4/6 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between Barranquilla and Bogota, Colombia with two passengers and four ex-Colombian Air Force pilots onboard. After airborne, flight control problems forced the crew to return to Barranquilla. The aircraft touched down, rolled 100 meters and lifted off again. It reached a height of 20 meters, entered a stall and crashed onto the runway. The aircraft was destroyed and only one passenger and one pilot survived the crash with serious injuries.

No flight plan had been filed. The flight was considered suspicious because several firearms were found in the wreckage along with 50 plastic drums that are known to be used in the production of narcotics.

 

Right: a very poor shot, which nonetheless gives an idea of the extent of the damage incurred on 13 March 1984.
Photo credit: unknown

Below, left: HK-1322 now with Aerosucre in April 1980.
Photo credit: Reinhard Zinabold / Flickr

Below, right: HK-1322 in a second, very seventiesish, Aerosucre livery in March 1981.
Photo credit: Werner Fischdick / ASN

Bottom, left: the same livery seen on a postcard edited in 1984 - but the shot pre-dates that.
Photo credit: unknown

Bottom, right: HK-1322's final colors on 17 November 1983 in Miami, FL. Note it is now a Super 46C!
Photo credit: Mark Piacentini / Flickr