Commando 43-47417

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 43-47417

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 2943

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CK465

FATE: Written off

  August 1945 to November 1945

  43-47417 - USAAF (USA)

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6 August 1945

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

Intended as lend-lease to China, but cancelled.

Remained within the continental USA.

  November 1945

  43-47417 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

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2 November 1945

Transferred to RFC and stored at Ontario AAF, CA.

  November 1945 to December 1950

  N30017 - PRIVATE (USA)

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26 November 1945

Purchased by Seeley G. Mudd of Los Angeles, CA.

4 January 1946

Registered.

26 December 1950

Registration cancelled, exported to Canada.

  December 1950 to March 1952

  CF-GUU - MARITIME CENTRAL AIRWAYS (CANADA)

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December 1950

Purchased.

1 June 1951

Registered.

21 March 1952

Registration cancelled, exported to France.

  March 1952 to 1953

  F-DAAR - AIR MAROC (FRENCH MOROCCO)

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March 1952

Purchased.

26 June 1952

Damaged in an accident at Toulouse Blagnac, France.

 

Right: F-DAAR in Air Maroc livery, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: Jacques Guillem

  1953 to March 1954

  F-DAAR - AIGLE AZUR (FRANCE)

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1953

Purchased.

Assigned to Aigle Azur Extreme-Orient and based in French Indochina.

13 March 1954

Destroyed on the ground in Dien Bien Phu, French Indochina (no fatalities).

The Commando had flown into Dien Bien Phu a few days prior, and was grounded there due to an engine failure. The engine was repaired, and on 13 March as the crew was getting ready to leave, Viet Minh artillery started pounding the French positions that included the airstrip. The aircraft was destroyed in what would become the first engagement of the battle of Dien Bien Phu.

 

Below, left: F-DAAR surrounded by mechanics in Dien Bien Phu, March 1954.
Below, right: an aerial photo of the airstrip taken during the battle, showing the position of the various wrecks including F-DAAR.
Photo credit: Dien Bien Phu group on Facebook