Alchetron:"It was a UC-64A Norseman (s/n 44-70285) flown by F/O John R. S. Morgan in which Major Glenn Miller was flying as a passenger when he disappeared over the English Channel on December 15, 1944."
From Ric:
Somewhere Spragg got the idea that 470285 was a C-64B, but if you go to JoeBaugher.com, you'll see that the aircraft was clearly a C-64A produced in Fiscal Year 1944.
JoeBaugher.com:
"70285 (MSN 550) Delivered to USAAF July 5, 1944; Newark, New Jersey July 5, 1944; shipped to the 8th Air Force, England July 14, 1944; 35th Depot Repair Squadron, Abbots Ripton, Cambridgeshire. Disappeared over the English Channel on December 15, 1944 while en route from Bedford, England to Paris, France. Band leader A. Glenn Miller was lost along with the pilot John Morgan and Lt. Colonel Baessell. The pilot departed Abbots Ripton at about noon on the 15th with orders to pick up his passengers at Twinwood Farm, a satellite to RAF Cranfield, located three miles north of the centre of Bedford. After picking up Lt. Colonel Baessell and Major Miller, it departed for Villacoublay, France in marginal conditions, with Bordeaux being the aircraft's ultimate destination; Villacoublay was located some ten miles southwest of the centre of Paris. The aircraft was never heard from again. No trace of the aircraft or its occupants has ever been found."
There were only ten C-64Bs, 2 in FY 1942 and 8 in FY 1943. All were transferred from the RCAF to the USAAF.
From that URL:
Serial Number Criteria:
Description Criteria: C-64B
Data last updated: Tue Mar 15 09:25:04 2016
42-53520 ... 42-53521
Noorduyn UC-64B-ND Norseman
MSN 83/84, ex RCAF 3532, 3533
53521 to civil registry as N57370
43-5105 ... 43-5108
Noorduyn UC-64B Norseman
MSN 96/99. To RCAF as 496/499.
5105 (MSN 96) to RCAF as 496. To USAAF Mar 29, 1943.
5106 (MSN 97) to RCAF as 497. To USAAF Mar 29, 1943
5107 (MSN 98) to RCAF as 498. To USAAF Mar 29, 1943. In takeoff accident
at Little Evies Lake, Yukon, Canada Oct 16, 1943.
5108 (MSN 99) to RCAF as 499. To USAAF Mar 29, 1943.