Commando 44-77873
Aircraft Identification
VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando
USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77873
CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 33269
COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1805
FATE: Unknown
Operational Record
February 1945 to September 1947
44-77873 - USAAF (USA)
February 1945
Delivered from the Curtiss-Wright factory in Buffalo, NY.
September 1947 to November 1965
44-77873 - USAF (USA)
18 September 1947
Transferred.
Unknown date
Assigned to the 2347th Air Force Reserve Training Center based at Long Beach AFB, CA.
17 May 1958
Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
2 February 1959
Sent to reclamation, then removed from surplus list.
November 1965 to April 1967
N59346 - MARATHON AVIATION CORPORATION (USA)
22 November 1965
Transferred.
14 May 1966
Departed Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.
April 1967 to February 1968
N59346 - TRADEWINDS CARGO INC. (USA)
14 April 1967
Registered.
Overhauled by Intermountain Aviation at Marana, AZ.
2 October 1967
Registration cancelled, exported to Thailand.
February 1968 to February 1970
VT-DWZ - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (INDIA)
15 February 1968
Registered.
Operated by the Aviation Research Center (ARC) of India with the technical support of the CIA as part of operation Oak Tree.
Based at Charbatia AB, Odisha, India, flying clandestine missions over Chinese-occupied Tibet.
February 1970 to April 1973
44-77873 - USAF (USA)
28 February 1970
Returned to the USAF.
Assigned to the 56th Special Operations Wing based at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand.
1 April 1973
Struck off charge.
Fate unknown, probably never left India.
Last edited: 16/01/2024