VH-TJP Douglas DC-9-31

VH-TJP. Douglas DC-9-31. c/n 47418-570.

Was also registered as: N741L; N929ML; N192SA; N650UG; XA-TKN.

This was the first of 6 additional aircraft ordered new by the Australian National Airlines Commission for T.A.A.

Construction was complete at the Douglas Long Beach plant - January 05, 1970

First flown as 'VH-TJP' at Long Beach - January 28, 1970

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-TJP - February 05, 1970

Registered to Australian National Airlines Commission, Melbourne

Accepted by T.A.A. at Long Beach - February 05, 1970

Departed Long Beach on the delivery flight to Australia - February 06, 1970

It arrived at Melbourne (Essendon) Airport on completion of the delivery flight - February 08, 1970

Delivery route: Long Beach - Honolulu - Pago Pago - Brisbane - Melbourne

The aircraft was named 'Charles Kingsford Smith' at Melbourne (Essendon) Airport - February 13, 1970

It was christened by Mrs Tully, the widow of Sir Charles Kingsford Smith

Operated its first revenue service - February 13, 1970

It operated T.A.A. 25th Anniversary Melbourne - Adelaide service - December 02, 1971

Flew its last revenue service in old livery - October 24, 1981

Rolled out at Melbourne (Tullamarine) in new Trans Australia 'camel-hump' livery - November 27, 1981

Returned to service - November 30, 1981

Trans-Australia Airlines was renamed Australian Airlines - August 08, 1986

Operated its final revenue service Sydney (Kingsford Smith) - Melbourne (Tullamarine) as TN459 - October 29, 1986

It had flown 42,591 hours with 46,548 cycles

Trans Australia titles and logo were removed from the aircraft - October 31, 1986

Sold to Australian Aircraft Sales (A.A.S.) and A.A.S. logo applied - November 01, 1986

Departed Melbourne in basic TAA livery on the ferry flight to the United States as TN1397 - November 04, 1986

It arrived at Marana on completion of the ferry flight - November 06, 1986

Ferry route: Melbourne - Brisbane - Pago Pago - Hilo - Long Beach - Marana

Sold to International Lease Finance Company (ILFC) - November 06, 1986

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N741L - November 06, 1986

Registered to International Lease Finance Company (ILFC)

Leased to Sunworld Intenational Airways as the registered operator

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - November 10, 1986

Accepted by Sunworld International Airways at Phoenix Airport - November 12, 1986

Returned to ILFC at the end of the lease - February 10, 1988

Reregistered as N929ML - February 1988

Registered to First Security Bank of Utah

Leased to Midway Airlines as the registered operator - February 10, 1988

The aircraft was hushkitted with Pratt & Whitney JTBD-7B engines

Returned to First Security Bank at the end of the lease - July 29, 1991

Leased to Ross Aviation as the registered operator - July 01, 1992

Reregistered as N192SA - July 1992

Registered to First Security Bank of Utah

Leased to Ross Aviation as the registered operator

Returned to First Security Bank of Utah at the end of the lease - June 1993

Reregistered as N650UG - August 01, 1993

Registered to First Security Bank of Utah

Leased to NASA 'Lewis Research Centre' as the registered operator

It was observed at Hamilton Aviation, Tucson - September 1994

It was undergoing modifications to support work to investigate / study reduced gravity

It was observed at Cleveland (Hopkins) Airport in NASA livery - December 1996

Returned to First Security Bank of Utah on termination of the lease - July 21, 1997

Sold to Pegasus Aviation Holding Corp - September 30, 1997

Registered to Pegasus Aviation Holding Corporation - February 1998

It was observed stored at Hamilton Aviation, Tucson, Arizona in the standard NASA livery - March 16, 1998

It was observed at Tucson, Arizona in all white livery with registration 'XA-TKN' - June 30, 1998

Cancelled from the United States Aircraft Register - July 08, 1998

Sold to Transportes Aereos Ejecutivos SA (TAESA), Mexico - July 24, 1998

Entered onto the Mexican Aircraft Register as XA-TKN - July 1998

The aircraft was written off when it crashed on take-off from Uruapan Airport, Mexico - November 09, 1999

It was operating the TAESA service Tijuana - Guadalajara - Uruapan - Mexico City as Flight 725

On landing at Uruapan Airport 85 passengers deplaned

The take-off roll for Mexico City took place from Runway 02 at 18:59 hours local

It assumed a higher than normal rotational angle and then impacted the ground 3.3 miles south of the airport

Five crew members and thirteen passengers were killed

The aircraft had flown 56,518 hours with 57,560 cycles

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, May 1978.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-494.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-386.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, April 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-282.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, June 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-373.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, November 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-054.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-374.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-387.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1980.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-495.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-419.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-388.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-389.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, May 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-390.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia Airlines - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the standard livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 1980.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-496.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-614.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-613.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 1982.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-283.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, October 30, 1983.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-409.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, January 10, 1985.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1135-375.)

VH-TJP. TAA Trans Australia - 'Charles Kingsford Smith' in the 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1985.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-376.)

VH-TJP. AAS Australian Aircraft Sales - in the basic TAA 'camel hump' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 1986.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1135-633.)

N741L. Sunworld - in the standard livery at Tucson Airport, April 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-377.)

N741L. Sunworld - in the standard livery at Tucson Airport, September 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-011.)

N741L. Sunworld - in the standard livery at Las Vegas Airport, Decemmber 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-634.)

N929ML. Midway - in the final livery at Tucson Airport, February 1990.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-014.)

N650UG. Lewis Research Center - in the standard livery at Tucson Airport, June 1994.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1135-242.)

N650UG. Lewis Research Center - in the standard livery at Tucson Airport, December 1996.