Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando

C46-26971Written off

RegistrationBRPP-NMF

Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation register

VAOperatorVARIG

1operators

0incidents

0accidents

0logbook years

0photos

Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando. Operated for VARIG.

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Technical data

Country of registrationBrasil

MSN26971

VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N9338R · Oct 8, 2026

The model · Curtiss C-46 Commando

Figures for the C-46A variant, the most representative of the family

Length23.3 m76 ft

Wingspan32.9 m108 ft

Height6.6 m22 ft

Range5,069 km2,737 NMWith a typical passenger load

Cruise speed278 km/h150 ktMach 0.26

Service ceiling7,468 m24,501 ft

Maximum take-off weight20,412 kg45,001 lb

Maximum payload6,501 kg14,332 lbIts 40 passengers with baggage would weigh about 4.0 t; the rest is fuel and cargo

Typical capacity40 passengers

Endurance18 h 14 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 5,069 km range, from Rio De Janeiro it could fly non-stop as far as:

BOGBogota4,541 km LIMLima3,777 km SCLSantiago2,934 km EZEBuenos Aires (Ezeiza)1,996 kmGRUSão Paulo336 km

Beyond its rangePTYTocumen5,295 km

The type first flew in 1940 (86 years ago) · About 3,181 units built · Production ended in 1945

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Curtiss C-46 Commando Compare this aircraft

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

–2026VARIG airline base

Base

GIGRio De Janeiro GRUSão Paulo

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Operators

—

L. B. Smith Aircraft Corporation

Registration N9338R

—

VARIG

Registration PP-NMF

In memoriam

This aircraft suffered a serious accident or hull loss. Out of respect for what happened and for the people who may have been affected, this record does not enable the register of memories.

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG. Retrieved October 19, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971

MLA

“Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971. Accessed 19 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971 (Accessed: 19 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_c46_26971,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-19},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-19}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/C46-26971 |title=Curtiss C-46A-40-CU Commando · PP-NMF · VARIG |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-19 |language=en}}