Commando 44-77819

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

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77819

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 33215

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1751

FATE: Written off

  February 1945 to January 1947

  44-77819 - USAAF (USA)

5 February 1945

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

20 March 1945

Assigned to the 8^th Air Force.

Departed the USA for Europe.

Early 1945

Probably assigned to the 9^th Air Force, 52^nd Troop Carrier Wing.

4 August 1945

Returned to the USA at Bradley Field, CT.

  January 1947 to March 1948

  44-77819 - RFC (RECONSTRUCTION FINANCE CORPORATION) (USA)

10 January 1947

Transferred to RFC and stored at Bush Field, GA.

  March 1948 to unknown date

  44-77819 - USAF (USA)

9 March 1948

Returned to USAF service.

5 May 1948

Assigned to Langley AFB, VA.

12 February 1949

Converted to EC-46D (exempt category).

6 April 1949

Reclamation authorized.

24 February 1949

Reclamation completed.

  Unknown date to November 1959

  N5549A - C-46 PARTS INC. (USA)

Unknown date

Purchased. [possibly from a private individual who bought it from the USAF?]

31 July 1959

Registered.

30 November 1959

Registration cancelled, exported to Colombia.

  November 1959 to June 1965

  HK-527 - SAM (SOCIEDAD AERONAUTICA DE MEDELLIN) (COLOMBIA)

November 1959

Purchased.

8 September 1962

Damaged at Cali, Colombia in a belly landing.

The Commando was taking off from Cali when an engine failed. The crew was forced to make a belly landing.

Repaired.

  June 1965 to July 1966

  HK-527 - AEROPESCA (COLOMBIA)

23 June 1965

Purchased.

11 July 1966

Went missing in the Andes (8/8 missing).

Crew:
Capt. Alvaro Jaramillo Millan
Capt. Victor Mayorga
F/O Eduardo Kure
F/O Attilio Blanco
Engineer Ernesto Diaz Pena

The Commando was operating a cargo flight from Bogota, Colombia to Buenos Aires, Argentina with intermediate stops in La Paz, Bolivia and Santiago, Chile. For that long flight, a double crew of four pilots and a mechanic was onboard, in addition to three passengers and the cargo load of eight live bulls due to take part in an exhibition in the Palermo suburb of Buanos Aires. The airplane took off at 1300 LT from Santiago, Chile bound for Buenos Aires, Argentina. Contact with air traffic control was soon lost and the aircraft became overdue.

18 November 1966

Wreckage found on the slopes of Cerro El Planchon, Chile, approximately 200 km south of Santiago, with all occupants dead. The airplane had apparently made a controlled flight into terrain while flying in bad weather.