AVIATION 101 CURTISS C-46
The Curtiss C-46 Commando was a transport aircraft designed in 1937 and first flown in 1940. Production continued until 1945 with a total of 3181 aircraft going into service with the US military.
Performance information:
Cruising speed: 173 mph (278 km/hr)
Range: 3150 mi. (5069 km)
Cargo capacity: 15,000 lbs. (6800 kg)
Service ceiling: 24,500 ft. (7468 m)
| Three-view of C-46 |
| Cut-away view of C-46 |
Specifications (C-46A)
Data from Curtiss Aircraft 1907–1946
General characteristics
- Crew: 4
- Capacity:
- 40 troops or
- 30 stretcher patients or
- 15,000 lb (6,800 kg) cargo
- Length: 76 ft 4 in (23.27 m)
- Wingspan: 108 ft 0 in (32.91 m)
- Height: 21 ft 9 in (6.62 m)
- Wing area: 1,360 ft2 (126.3 m2)
- Empty weight: 30,669 lb (14,700 kg)
- Max. takeoff weight: 45,000 lb (20,412 kg)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney R-2800-51 two-row 18-cylinder radial engines, 2,000 hp (1,492 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 270 mph (235 knots, 435 km/h) at 15,000 ft (4,600 m)
- Cruise speed: 173 mph (150 knots, 278 km/h)
- Range: 3,150 mi (2,739 nmi, 5,069 km at 173 mph (278 km/h))
- Service ceiling: 24,500 ft (7,468 m)
- Rate of climb: 1,175 ft/min[30] (6.0 m/s)
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LAB Curtiss C-46 Aircraft Fleet
Detailed Histories and Photos of Seven Aircraft
Note: Information about LAB's C-46 fleet is sparse and
photos in the LAB color scheme so far have been almost non-existent.
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CB-37
| A similar C-46C flying for First Nations Transportation |
Curtiss C-46A-60-CK c/n 433
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo, NY 1943
USAAF 43-47362 1943
Unknown operator in Honduras XH-TNC ?
LAB CB-37 1947
Accident at Trinidad " 29 May 1947
- rebuilt
LAB CP-537 ?
Accident at Rurrenabaque " 10 Aug 1949
- damaged beyond repair - written off
- no other information has been found
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CB-38
| A similar C-46A flown by Real Nacional - Brazil |
Curtiss C-46A c/n ?
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo,NY ?
USAAF ?
LAB CB-38 1948
LAB CP-538
Accident at Laguna Anteojos, Beni " 2 Oct 1950
- damaged beyond repair, written off - no other information available
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CB-39
| Similar C-46 operated by Transaereos Illimani |
Curtiss C-46A-10-CU c/n 26488
History:
Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo, NY 1941 ?
USAAF 41-12361 4 May 1943
Northwest Airlines " 16 Sep 1943
USAAF " 28 Aug 1944
Reconstruction Finance Corp. " 25 Oct 1945
- stored at Walnut Ridge, AR
LAB CB-39 4 Dec 1949
LAB CP-539 ?
Loide Aereo Nacional - Brazil " 21 Jul 1951
- purchased from LAB
Crashed on takeoff at Cochabamba 29 Jul 1951 - Pilot: Cap. Zabalaga
- No survivors - 3 crew, 4 passengers - 7 fatalities
- Aircraft was being ferried to Rio de Janeiro following sale to Loide Aereo Nacional
- Damaged beyond repair - written off
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CB-50
| CB-50 after sale to Brazil as PP-LDM - Ed Coates Collection |
Curtiss C-46A-1-CU c/n 26397
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp at Buffalo, NY 1941
USAAF 41-5195 1941
Presque Isle Army Airfield, ME " ?
- embarkation point for aircraft movement to Great Britain
Accident at Narsarssuak Air Base, Greenland 27 Jan 1944
- Ground accident - pilot: Dana H. Weaver
- details of accident unavailable
LAB CB-50 1 Jan 1950
LAB CP-550
- aircraft sold to Loide
Loide Aereo Nacional - Brazil PP-LDM Jul 1951
Crashed at Sete Praas, Santa Amaro, SP, Brazil " 14 Sep 1953
- the aircraft was returning to Congonhas Airport when it struck trees and crashed
- no fatalities, but aircraft damaged beyond repair, written off
| Brazilian newspaper photo of crashed PP-LDM - formerly LAB CB-50 |
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CB-51
| A similar C-46A operated by Servicios Aereos Bolivianos |
Curtiss C-46A-CU c/n 26369
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo, NY 1941
USAAF 41-5167 13 Sep 1942
Homestead Army Air Field, FL " ?
- Second Air Force Operational Training Unit - 2 O T U
Accident at Homestead AAF " 17 Sep 1943
- Landing accident due to mechanical failure
- Pilot: Howard H. Boyles
Second accident at Homestead AAF " 12 Nov 1943
- Landing accident due to mechanical failure
- Pilot: Leonard J. Specht
Transferred to Reconstruction Finance Corp. " 8 Nov 1945
- withdrawn from use at Bush Field, CA
California Atlantic Airways N1920M 1949
- St. Petersburg, FL
LAB CB-51 11 Feb 1950
Crashed near Cochabamba " 24 Apr 1950
- No fatalities, 2 crew members
- Aircraft damaged beyond repair, written off
- No other information has been found
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CB-67
| Similar C-46 operated by LANSA of Honduras, formerly of VARIG - Photo from the Geoff Goodall Collection |
Curtiss C-46D-10-CU c/n 33283
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo, NY 1944
USAAF 44-77887 14 Feb 1945
Sedalia Army Air Field, MO " 1945
92nd Troop Carrier Squadron - 439th Troop Carrier Group - 1st Troop Carrier Command
Accident at Sedalia AAF, taxiing accident 13 Oct 1945
- pilot: John Homa
- no further information available
Transferred to Reconstruction Finance Corp. " 6 Feb 1946
- wfu and stored at Walnut Ridge Army Air Field, AR
Compania Nacional Cubana de Aviacion CU-P197 1947
TAN - Transportes Aereos Nacionales XH-TNE 1949
- Honduras
LAB CB-67 29 Nov 1950
LAP - Linhas Aereas Paulistas PP-LPH 21 Jul 1951
- Brazil
Crashed on a training flight into Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro 4 Mar 1954
Accident report: An attempt to land on one engine was made. Following a hard landing on one wheel, full power was applied by the instructor because another aircraft had entered the runway. The engine failed on climb-out and the C-46 struck the mast of a ship, causing it to crash into the sea. No fatalities; occupants: instructor and student only. Aircraft damaged beyond repair; written off. Source: Aviation Safety Network
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(CB-541)
This C-46D was operated by the Corporacion Boliviana de Fomento from 1946 until a fatal accident in 1962 when it was written off. As far as I can tell it was not used by LAB.
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CP-730
| A similar C-46F operated by Servicio Aereo Oriental |
Curtiss C-46D-CU c/n 33457
History:
Built by Curtiss-Wright Corp. at Buffalo, NY 1944
USAAF 44-78061 24 Mar 1945
Reconstruction Finance Corp. " Dec 1945
- wfu and stored at Walnut Ridge Army Air Field, AR
Transportes Aereos Universal - Brazil PP-BBC 1 May 1948
Ferris and Buarque Corp - Brazil " 17 May 1952
Loide Aereo Nacional - Brazil PP-LDN 19 May 1952
Transportes Aereos Bandeirantes PP-BLD 5 May 1958
- ? this company merged with Loide in 1950
Aerovias Condor - Bolivia CP-730 Sep 1963
LAB " 1965
- leased from Aerovias Condor (they ceased operations in 1963)
Accident between Riberalta and Cochabamba 3 Aug 1966
- sometimes listed as 8 Mar 1966
Accident Report:
After a normal flight from La Paz to Riberalta, CP-730 took off for Cochabamba at 1130.35 hrs. Bolivian time, to carry out the second part of its flight plan, a special cargo flight. The only persons on board were the three crew members. The aircraft reported over Santa Ana and San Ignacio at 1232 hrs. and 1255 hrs. respectively, and estimated the next contact with Cochabamba control at 1340 hrs, when it would be over Rio Juntas, 20 min. away from its destination.
At 1345 hrs. Cochabamba control called CP-730 requesting a new estimate over Rio Juntas. No reply from the aircraft was received and Cochabamba requested Trinidad control to try and contact the aircraft. As no message had been received from CP-730 by 1400 hrs, blind transmissions were sent out of weather conditions in the mountains, on the assumption that the aircraft's radio transmitter was not operating; in addition all stations in the area were warned to expect a possible landing of the aircraft. Since by 1440 hrs. no landing of the aircraft was reported, an ALERFA was declared [the alert phase of an emergency where apprehension exists concerning an aircraft and its occupants], followed later at 1540 hrs. by a DETRESFA [distress phase - reasonable certainty that an aircraft and its occupants are threatened by grave and imminent danger or require immediate assistance].
Search operations were initiated at 1700 hrs. and continued for nine days over an area of 169,000 square miles without success. Twelve days after CP-730's disappearance, two peasants reported in [a town near] Cochabamba that while out hunting in the mountains they had found the missing aircraft and brought two pieces of aluminum from it as proof. On the strength of this evidence that CP-730 had been located, investigation teams were assembled and arrived at the site of the accident thirteen days after its occurrence.
The three Bolivian crew members did not survive.
The wreckage of the aircraft was distinguishable only from 40 m (120 ft) away because of ice which had formed on it and the configuration of the terrain; this explains why the aerial search was unsuccessful.
Analysis:
A pilot who had flown the same route as CP-730 in a C-46 which arrived at Cochabamba at 1400 hrs. reported that there was a strong tailwind and that weather conditions had necessitated instrument flight.
A DC-3 that had also taken the same route reached Cochabamba shortly after 1400 hrs, 25 min. ahead of its ETA owing to the tailwind.
From the foregoing it can be deduced that CP-730 was beyond its estimated position because of the strong tailwind. This would explain why the pilot flying in IMC [instrument meteorological conditions] and convinced that he had not yet reached Rio Juntas, failed to report over this point and unexpectedly found himself in the mountains.
Conclusion:
Due to a tailwind the aircraft was beyond its estimated position, The pilot did not report over Rio Juntas and unexpectedly found himself in the mountains. In an attempt to fly clear of the mountains he made a 90 degree turn to the right and struck the ground.
-This very thorough report was issued in 1971 by the International Civil Aviation Organization and was part of its Aircraft Accident Digest No. 18, Vol. 2.
I have only quoted about half of the report.
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Latest comments
Los K-8 llegaron a Bolivia recién en 2011,no en 1993. La pista podría ser la de Tarija.
FRIMO= Frigorífico Movima, empresa de carga de los años 70- 80
Thank you for creating this website on the LAB fleet. I am writing a book, set in 1996, flight Riberalto, Bolivia to La Paz Bolivia & my research led me here. It was incredibly informative & helpful!
Steeling my pictures from La Paz 1973 they have my copyright, no permission is ask