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]
July 1948 to unknown date
C-74X - LIDCA (LINEAS AEREAS DEL CARIBE) (COLOMBIA)
1 July 1948
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Withdrawn from use.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