Commando 43-47410

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46E-1-CS Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47410

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 2936

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK458

FATE: Written off

  July 1945 to February 1947

  43-47410 - USAAF (USA)

17 July 1945

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

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command, 813^th AAF Base Unit, Sedalia AAF, MO.

Remained within the continental USA.

  February 1947 to April 1948

  43-47410 - WAA (WAR ASSETS ADMINISTRATION) (USA)

9 February 1947

Transferred to WAA.

  April 1948 to July 1949

  N79978 - STANDARD AIR LINES (USA)

20 April 1948

Purchased by Stanley D. Weiss to be operated by Standard Air Lines.

12 July 1949

Damaged beyond repair after flying into terrain near Chatsworth (35/48 fatalities). CAB Report

The Commando was conducting a non-scheduled passenger flight between New York, NY and Long Beach, CA with intermediate stops in Chicago, IL, Kansas City, MO, Albuquerque, NM and Burbank, CA. After departing Albuquerque, bad weather prevailed and the crew filed an IFR flight plan while airborne. Approaching Burbank, low ceilings were reported and the aircraft was cleared for an instrument letdown. While on the downwind leg of that apprach, the Commando crashed into the Santa Susana Mountains at approximately 1,900ft, well below the 2,300ft summit. The accident was deemed to be a CFIT caused by the crew deliberately descending below the minimum safe altitude published for that leg of the approach.

Total airframe time 1,515 hours.

Right: N79978 awaiting its passengers at Oakland, CA in May 1949.
Photo credit: Bill Larkins / Wikimedia Commons

Below: Various shots of the crash scene. Note Venta Krishna and members of local cult WKFL helping out in the rescue!
Photo credit: Los Angeles Times