Commando 44-77320

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-5-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77320

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32716

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1252

FATE: Written off

  October 1944 to March 1945

  44-77320 - USAAF (USA)

26 October 1944

Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.

Probably assigned to the 5^th Air Force, 54^th Troop Carrier Wing operating in the Southwest Pacific theater.

14 December 1944

Ferried through Brisbane Eagle Farm, Queensland, Australia.

22 March 1945

Damaged beyond repair near Sedalia AAF, MO following an inflight breakup (2/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a local instrument training flight out of Sedalia AAF, MO. It crashed following the consecutive failure of both wings. Investigators speculated that the wings failed due to an overstress situation during a possible unusual attitude recovery.

Condemned for salvage, accident.

[It is highly unlikely that this Commando was ferried to the Southwest Pacific in December 1944, before being assigned to a training unit in the continental USA in March 1945. It would be more sensible to think that it was assigned to I Troop Carrier Command from the onset.]