Commando 42-107284

VARIANT: Curtiss C-46A-41-CU Commando

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-107284

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26971

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU611

FATE: Written off

  April 1944 to September 1947

  42-107284 - USAAF (USA)

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April 1944

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

Unknown date

Assigned to the 3^rd Operational Training Unit (3 OTU), based at Reno AAF, NV.

5 January 1945

Damaged in Reno AAF, NV in a takeoff accident.

Pilot: Wortham M. Eidson

  September 1947 to May 1960

  42-107284 - USAF (USA)

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18 September 1947

Transferred.

Unknown date

Modified by Curtiss-Wright for USAF.

Unknown date

Assigned to the 2577^th Air Force Reserve Training Center, based at Brooks AFB, TX.

8 November 1957

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

29 January 1958

Sent for reclamation at Davis-Monthan AFB, AZ.

  May 1960 to January 1961

  N9338R - L. B. SMITH AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

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May 1960

Purchased from USAF.

  January 1961 to February 1962

  PP-NMF - NAB (NAVEGACAO AEREA BRASILEIRA) (BRAZIL)

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3 January 1961

Purchased.

27 January 1961

Registered.

  February 1962 to August 1964

  PP-NMF - VASP (VIACAO AEREA SAO PAULO) (BRAZIL)

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February 1962

Transferred as part of the merger of NAB into VASP.

16 August 1964

Damaged beyond repair in Rio Capim, Brazil while ditching following an engine failure (1/4 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight from Carolina to Belem, Brazil. Enroute, the left propeller lost a blade, which caused the engine to fail, catch fire and explode. The crew informed ATC about their situation when, a few minutes later, the right engine also lost power. They were forced to jettison some of the cargo, but this was not sufficient to maintain altitude and the Captain elected to ditch the aircraft into Rio Capim, some 230 kilometers south of Belem. The aircraft floated about 15 minutes, then sank and was lost. Three crew members were rescued while the fourth was not wearing his seat belt and did not survive the impact. [or drowned, according to ASN]