Commando 43-47413

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47413

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 2939

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK461

FATE: Written off

  July 1945 to October 1945

  43-47413 - USAAF (USA)

20 July 1945

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

Intended as lend-lease to China, but cancelled.

Remained within the continental USA.

  October 1945 to November 1945

  43-47413 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

30 October 1945

Transferred to RFC and stored at Ontario AAF, CA.

  November 1945 to October 1949

  N59485 - SLICK AIRWAYS (USA)

29 November 1945

Purchased.

9 October 1949

Damaged beyond repair near Cheyenne, WY in an approach accident (3/3 fatalities). CAB Report

Crew:
Capt. Ralph E. Settle
F/O Robert W. Seebers

The Commando was conducting a cargo flight between San Francisco, CA and Newark, NJ with intermediate stops in Las Vegas, NV and Denver, CO. There were two pilots, a company employee and a load of freight on board. Enroute to Denver, CO, low ceilings there forced the crew to divert to their alternate Laramie, WY. However, as the flight was running low on fuel, the crew eventualy decided to divert to Cheyenne, WY instead. By the time they started the approach, a squall line had moved to the airfield and the airplane encountered severe turbulence and heavy icing - while this Commando was not equipped with de-icing boots. Both of these led to a loss of control and the airplane crashed 4 km northwest of the airport.

Total airframe time 8,585 hours.