Commando 44-77878

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-10-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77878

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 33274

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1810

FATE: Unknown

  February 1945 to September 1947

  44-77878 - USAAF (USA)

February 1945

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

Unknown date

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command, 807^th AAF Base Unit, Bergstrom AAF, TX.

15 June 1945

Damaged at Bergstrom AAF, TX in a taxi accident.

Pilot: George D. Middleton

While taxiing at Bergstrom AAF, TX, the Commando hit sistership 44-77949 of the same unit. Both airplanes were damaged.

27 June 1945

Damaged 3 km north-northeast of Bastrop, TX in a midair collision.

Pilot: Robert J. Meyer

  September 1947 to November 1965

  44-77878 - USAF (USA)

18 September 1947

Transferred.

Unknown date

Assigned to the 2596^th Air Force Reserve Training Center based at Hensley AFB, TX.

Converted to TC-46D.

12 June 1950

Received major damage at Hensley AFB, TX in a landing accident.

Pilot: Ralph E. Johnson

Unknown date

Assigned to the Mobile Air Materiel Area based at Brookley AFB, AL.

Converted back to C-46D.

30 November 1954

Received minor damage at Andrews AFB, MD in a taxi accident.

Pilot: Tony E. Bradfield

Unknown date

Assigned to the West Virginia Air National Guard, 130^th Air Resupply Squadron based at Kanawha County Airport, WV.

17 March 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.

27 June 1966

Supplied to foreign country under the Military Assistance Program.

  November 1965 to April 1967

  N60576 - MARATHON AVIATION CORPORATION (USA)

22 November 1965

Transferred.

14 June 1966

Departed Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

  April 1967 to December 1967

  N60576 - TRADEWINDS CARGO INC. (USA)

14 April 1967

Registered.

Overhauled by Intermountain Aviation at Marana, AZ.

2 November 1967

Registration cancelled, exported to Thailand.

  December 1967 to February 1970

  VT-DWY - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (INDIA)

7 December 1967

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

  44-77878 - USAF (USA)

28 February 1970

Returned to the USAF.

Assigned to the 56^th Special Operations Wing based at Nakhon Phanom AB, Thailand.

1 April 1973

Struck off charge.

Fate unknown, probably never left India.