Commando 42-107301

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

USAF SERIAL NUMBER (S/N): 42-107301

CURTISS CONSTRUCTION NUMBER (C/N): 26988

COMMANDO LINE NUMBER (L/N): CU628

FATE: Written off

  May 1944 to April 1946

  42-107301 - USAAF (USA)

5 May 1944

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

22 June 1944

Assigned to ATC North African Wing.

31 October 1944

Assigned to ATC India China Division.

Unknown date

Assigned to Karachi, Sindh, India.

8 February 1946

Condemned for salvage by Army-Navy Liquidation Commission.

[Aircraft was not broken up, but was it not purchased on 10 April 1946 by the Indian Government like so many others? High suspicions!]

   April 1946 to 1955

  42-107301 - INDIAN GOVERNMENT (INDIA)

10 April 1946

Probably purchased.

  1955 to September 1955

  N????? - UNKNOWN (USA)

1955

Purchased.

24 June 1955

Serviced in India.

27 July 1955

Departed on a ferry flight from India to Miami, FL.

12 August 1955

Arrived in Miami, FL from India.

[This aircraft is then supposed to have served with RANSA under registration YV-C-ARV for only a month, which is highly unlikely. This is probably a confusion with 42-61071 which actually bore that very registration]

  September 1955 to November 1963

  N5133B - RIDDLE AIRLINES (USA)

26 September 1955

Purchased.

Right: N5133B seen in 1965, still wearing Riddle’s attire.
Photo credit: The Aviation Photo Company

  November 1963 to October 1967

  N5133B - AIRLIFT INTERNATIONAL (USA)

November 1963

Transferred as Riddle Airlines rebranded itself as Airlift International.

  October 1967 to February 1969

  N5133B - CAROLINA AIRCRAFT CORPORATION (USA)

18 October 1967

Purchased.

4 February 1969

Damaged beyond repair near Manaus, Brazil after ditching in the Rio Negro following fuel exhaustion (0/2 fatalities).

The Commando was operating a cargo flight between San Andres, Colombia and Manaus, Brazil. While descending into Ponta Pelada AFB in Manaus, the crew informed ATC about engine problems. Eventually, the crew ditched the aircraft in the Rio Negro, a few kilometers short of the runway. While both pilots were rescued, the airplane sank and was lost. The power loss was attributed to fuel exhaustion.

[N5133B is shown by the FAA as being CN 26988, ex 42-3565. However 42-3565 joined RANSA as YV-C-ARX in September 1955, at the same time as CN 26988 joined Riddle… Lots of confusion remains regarding this aircraft, however it is highly unlikely that is ever joined RANSA due to its well-documented Riddle, Airlift & Carolina service history]

28 January 1971

Registration cancelled.