What became of Air New Zealands fleet of five Lockheed Electra L-188Cs.

ZK-TEA cn/2005 Aotearoa

Manufactured in 1959 and assigned tail number N9724C. Sold to T.E.A.L. 1959 and registered ZK-TEA to May 1972. Sold to Airmotive California 27th May 1972 as N3123I. Operated by Flamingo Airlines for a few months in 1972 before being converted to a Freighter in December 1972. th Sold to Fred Olsen Flyveselskap Scandinavia 11 September 1973 as LN-FOI until 1997. Stored in Coventry England as G-LOFI. Reduced to spares for Air Atlantique in 2002. Cockpit and forward fuselage purchased by Ferrymead Aeronautical Society Christchurch New Zealand in 2006.

ZK-TEA. Auckland

Flamingo Airlines

Fred Olsen Flyveselskap Scandinavia. LN-FOI

Stored in Coventry England as G-LOFI. Reduced to spares for Air Atlantique in 2002. Cockpit and forward fuselage purchased by Ferrymead Aeronautical Society Christchurch New Zealand in 2006.

ZK-TEB cn/2010 Atarau

T.E.A.L. 1959-1972 th Sold to Airmotive California 27 May 1972 as N33506. Operated by Nordair Canada CF-NAX under contract to the Canadian Government as an Ice Reconnaissance Aircraft. Converted to a Freighter and operated for a time by American Jet Industries as N63AJ. Leased to Northwest Territorial Airways Ltd November 1986 to September 1988. Sold to Reeve Aleutian Airways Alaska on 4th April 1978. Operated with Reeve Aleutian Airways for 33 years until Reeve suspended operations in March 2001. Sold to Air Atlantique as N2RK. Aircraft flown to and stored at Coventry Baginton England.

ZK-TEB Nandi Fiji

Nordair Canada CF-NAX under contract to the Canadian Government as an Ice Reconnaissance Aircraft

Converted to a Freighter and operated by American Jet Industries as N63AJ and Northwest Territorial Airways

Sold to Reeve Aleutian Airways Alaska on 4th April 1978. Operated with Reeve for 33 years until Reeve suspended Operations in March

Aircraft flown to and stored at Coventry Baginton England. Note: Aleutian had been replaced by Illusion as a joke before an airshow.

ZK-TEC. Cn/2011. Akaroa

T.E.A.L. 1959 -1965. Crashed on Crew Training exercise Whenuapai Auckland 27 Mar 1965.

ZK- TEC Christchurch Gate 6 1965

Crashed on Crew Training exercise Whenuapai Auckland 27 March 1965.

ZK-TED. cn 2008. Was not given a name.

Qantas VH-ECD Pacific Enterprise. First flight 25 November 1959. Leased to Trans Australian Airlines March 1960 for 6 months. st Leased to T.E.A.L. as ZK-TED 1 April 1970 for a year for joint T.E.A.L./Qantas services Auckland & Wellington. Returned to Qantas 1April 1971 & immediately on-sold to Nomads Inc USA 21 April 1971 as N863E . th On-sold to Mandala Airlines Indonesia 28 October 1981 as PK-RLG Jaya Perkasa. PK-RLG was destroyed by fire 30 November 1985 following a belly landing at Medan Indonesia .
th

Qantas VH-ECD Pacific Enterprise

Trans Australian Airlines 1960. Charles Sturt

ZK-TED

Nomads Inc USA 1971 as N863E PK-RLG Jaya Perkasa. Mandala Airlines Indonesia 1981.

PK-RLG was destroyed by fire 30 November 1985 following a belly landing at Medan Indonesia. Approaching Padang the right main landing gear wheels fell off and fell through the roof of a watch repair shop in Padang. Aircraft diverted to Medan for a wheels up landing. All propellers broke off. The aircraft burst into flames after coming to rest off the runway. 8 crew & 37 passengers on board all escaped.

ZK-CLX. cn 2007. Re-named Akaroa after ZK-TEC which it replaced.

Qantas VH-ECC Pacific Endeavour. First flight 19 November 1959 Purchased by T.E.A.L. 18 April 1965 to replace ZK-TEC. Re-registered ZK-CLX. Air New Zealand register 1965-1968. Sold 16 February 1968 to California Airmotive as N1968R. Immediately on-sold to Reeve Aleutian Airways Alaska on 22 February 1968 - where it remained for 33 years. Following Reeve Aleutian bankrpuptcy, on-sold to Air Spray Tankers Alberta Canada 28 April 2001 as C-GHZI. Stored then converted to a firebomber tanker at Chico Municipal Airport California by Aero Union April 2004.
th

Qantas VH-ECC Pacific Endeavour

ZK-CLX

ZK-CLX N1968R was almost lost on 8 June 1983 en-route Anchorage to Cold Bay Alaska when N4 propeller and reduction gearbox separated from the wing in flight. En-route the crew noticed an unusual vibration while climbing from 19,000 feet to 25,000 feet. The flight engineer went aft to inspect the engines and propellers but noted nothing unusual. A flight attendant went forward to report to the Captain that nothing unusual had been observed, when the vibration increased in intensity. As the flight attendant left the flight deck she looked out the right hand window and saw N4 propeller separate and strike the fuselage. This caused a rapid cabin decompression which resulted in partial collapse of the cabin floor, jamming some engine and flight control cables. The crew began an emergency descent but found that control was difficult and they could not reduce engine power from the cruise setting. After much experimentation the crew established the Auto pilot could provide minimal flight control and lowering and retracting the undercarriage with N2 engine shutdown enabled them to descend and climb the aircraft. Despite these difficulties which initially indicated a ditching in the sea, the crew managed to return to Anchorage some hours later. On their second approach the aircraft touched down nose wheel first at high speed and the crew shutdown the remaining two engines which deprived them of hydraulic braking and nose wheel steering. The aircraft departed the runway at slow speed, partially entering a ditch. The aircraft remained on its undercarriage and further damage was limited to that caused by brake fires which were extinguished by the fire services before spreading. The reason for the propeller separation could not be determined as the propeller had fallen into the ocean. Extracted from NTSB Report DCA83AA029. The aircraft was subsequently repaired and returned to service.

On-sold to Air Spray Tankers Alberta Canada 28 April 2001. Stored then converted to a firebomber tanker at Chico Municipal Airport California by Aero Union in April 2004. Photos below show ZK-CLX as Tanker 84 C-GHZI at BC Forest Service base Cranbrook Airport South East British Columbia Canada 30 July 2010. Still flying 45 years after arriving on T.E.A.L / Air New Zealand register and 53 years after its first flight on 19 November 1959 prior to its delivery to Qantas.