Continental Charters had only recently purchased the C-46A commando plane from the United States government. It was the second flight for the Miami based company since June 1951. There was a delay of several hours in Miami before takeoff for Pittsburgh. My e-book looks at the disappearance of the plane and the intense search that followed soon after. The U.S. Coast Guard, local civil air patrols from New York and Pennsylvania, Naval Reserve units and thousands of volunteers participated. The Curtiss C-46 proved a controversial aircraft from its first flight in March 1940.