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The Curtiss Commando Page

Commando 44-77435

Aircraft Identification

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

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77435

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32831

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1367

FATE: Written off

Operational Record

  November 1944 to January 1946

  44-77435 - USAAF (USA)


21 November 1944

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

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command based at Baer Field, IN.

Remained within the continental USA.

  January 1946 to March 1948

  44-77435 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)


11 January 1946

Transferred to RFC and stored at Bush Field, GA.

  March 1948 to April 1948

  N74688 - MIAMI AIRLINES (USA)


13 March 1948

Purchased from RFC by R. W. Duff, owner of Miami Airlines.

9 April 1948

Registered. [also quoted as NC74688]

  April 1948 to July 1948

  N74688 - SOUTH FLORIDA AIRWAYS (USA)


April 1948

Leased from R. W. Duff.

  July 1948 to unknown date

  C-74X - LIDCA (LINEAS AEREAS DEL CARIBE) (COLOMBIA)


1 July 1948

Purchased.

  Unknown date to 1949

  C-74 - LIDCA (LINEAS AEREAS DEL CARIBE) (COLOMBIA)


Unknown date

Reregistered.

  1949 to 1955

  HK-74 - LIDCA (LINEAS AEREAS DEL CARIBE) (COLOMBIA)


1949

Reregistered.

  1955 to October 1956

  HK-74 - COMPANIA AEREA EL BURRITO SA (COLOMBIA)


1955

Purchased.

  October 1956 to March 1957

  N74688 - AVIATION TRANSPORT PARTS (USA)


25 October 1956

Purchased by Michael Lojinger of Coral Gables, FL, dba Aviation Transport Parts. Lojinger was also President of C-46 Parts Inc. at the time.

14 January 1957

Registered.

  March 1957 to May 1957

  N74688 - AVIATION EQUIPMENT EXPORT (USA)


8 March 1957

Purchased. [possibly tranferred, it could be the same actual owner]

13 May 1957

Registration cancelled, export to Brazil.

  May 1957 to June 1957

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


1 May 1957

Purchased, but not taken up.

Bore registrations HK-74 and PP-ITK by 12 March 1957, even though PP-ITK was never officially granted.

  June 1957 to February 1962

  PP-NAO - NAB (NAVEGACAO AEREA BRASILEIRA) (BRAZIL)


17 June 1957

Purchased.

18 October 1957

Registered.

1 March 1960

Damaged in Manaus, Brazil after overrunning the runway into a ditch.

4 May 1961

Lost a propeller in flight.

  February 1962 to August 1973

  PP-NAO - VASP (VIACAO AEREA SAO PAULO) (BRAZIL)


February 1962

Transferred, as NAB merged into Loide Aereo Nacional, which soon merged into VASP.

26 May 1964

Damaged in Ilheus, Brazil after nosing over.

1970

Withdrawn from use.

 

Right: PP-NAO in VASP colors, unknown date & location.
Photo credit: NA3T
Below, left: PP-NAO at Sao Paulo Congonhas, Brazil in 1965.
Photo credit: Vito Cedrini / Airliners.net
Below, right: the same in October 1967, parked at a remote stand of Rio de Janeiro Santos Dumont, Brazil.
Photo credit: Helio Bastos Salmon / Airliners.net

  August 1973 to August 1974

  PP-NAO - MOTORTEC INDUSTRIA AERONAUTICA (BRAZIL)


20 August 1973

Purchased.

April 1974

Overhauled at Rio de Janeiro Jacarepagua, Brazil.

  August 1974 to 1980

  PP-NAO - SAVA (SERVICOS AEREOS DO VALE AMAZONICO) (BRAZIL)


14 August 1974

Purchased.

14 July 1977

Certificate of airworthiness expired.

  1980 to February 1981

  CP-1588 - UNIVERSAL (TRANSPORTES AEREOS UNIVERSAL) (BOLIVIA)


1980

Purchased.

10 February 1981

Damaged beyond repair in Caravani, Bolivia.

1984

Wreck transported to La Paz El Alto, Bolivia and stored.

Last edited: 04/01/2021