Commando 44-77537

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

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77537

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 32933

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1469

FATE: Unknown

  December 1944 to September 1947

  44-77537 - USAAF (USA)

December 1944

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

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command, 806^th AAF Base Unit, Baer Field, IN.

22 December 1944

Damaged at Baer Field, IN in a ground accident while parked.

The Commando was parked when it was hit by Douglas C-47B Skytrain 43-49578 flown by Carl F. Schepman which was taxiing nearby. Both airplanes were damaged.

  September 1947 to November 1965

  44-77537 - USAF (USA)

18 September 1947

Transferred.

Unknown date

Assigned to the Maryland Air National Guard, 135^th Air Resupply Squadron based at Harbor Field, MD.

Unknown date

Assigned to the New Jersey Air National Guard, 150^th Air Transport Squadron, Light based at Newark, NJ.

15 March 1958

Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

23 October 1961

Retrieved from storage and sent to the Middletown Air Materiel Area at Harrisburg-Olmsted AFB, PA for overhaul.

Returned to service with the 4400^th Combat Crew Training Squadron based at Eglin AFB, FL.

22 November 1964

Assigned to the Arizona Aircraft Storage Squadron and stored at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

Below, left: 44-77537 with an unknown unit in Boise, ID in August 1952.
Photo credit: Bill Larkins / Wikimedia Commons

Below, right: 44-77537 with the 135^th Air Resupply Unit, unknown date.
Photo credit: unknown

  November 1965 to August 1966

  N51657 - MARATHON AVIATION CORPORATION (USA)

22 November 1965

Transferred.

4 December 1965

Departed Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

  August 1966 to April 1967

  N51657 - TRADEWINDS CARGO INC. (USA)

2 August 1966

Registered.

Overhauled by Intermountain Aviation at Marana, AZ.

26 October 1966

Registration cancelled, exported to Thailand.

  April 1967 to February 1970

  VT-DVP - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (INDIA)

14 April 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

  44-77537 - 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.