Commando 44-77991

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46D-15-CU Commando

USAAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 44-77991

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 33387

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU1923

FATE: Unknown

  March 1945 to September 1947

  44-77991 - USAAF (USA)

March 1945

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

Assigned to I Troop Carrier Command, 813^th AAF Base Unit, Sedalia AAF, MO, Squadron D.

22 March 1945

Damaged at Sedalia AAF, MO in a taxi accident.

Pilot: William P. Carlyon

While taxiing, the Commando hit parked Douglas C-47A Skytrain 43-30699 of Squadron A. Both airplanes were damaged.

11 May 1945

Damaged at Sedalia AAF, MO in a ground accident while parked.

15 September 1945

Damaged at Sedalia AAF, MO in a taxi accident.

Pilot: John D. Clark

  September 1947 to unknown date

  44-77991 - USAF (USA)

18 September 1947

Transferred.

  Unknown dates

  N9072R - CURTISS-WRIGHT CORPORATION (USA)

Unknown date

Registration alloted, but not taken up.

  Unknown date to January 1958

  44-77991 - CALIFORNIA EASTERN AVIATION INC. (USA)

Unknown date

Probably leased from the USAF by California Eastern Aviation.

  January 1958 to October 1963

  44-77991 - USAF (USA)

21 January 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.

4 October 1963

Departed Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ for Miami, FL.

5 October 1963

Assigned to the 1045^th Operational Evaluation and Training Group, effectively the CIA's air arm.

Supplied to foreign country under the Military Assistance Program.

  October 1963 to October 1964

  N10707 - MARATHON AVIATION CORPORATION (USA)

7 March 1963

Registered.

October 1963

Overhauled by Intermountain Aviation at Marana, AZ.

5 June 1964

Registration cancelled, exported to Thailand.

19 July 1964

Ferried to India via Bahrain.

  October 1964 to February 1970

  VT-DRZ - MINISTRY OF EXTERNAL AFFAIRS (INDIA)

1 October 1964

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

  44-77991 - 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.