VH-FNI. Fokker F.27-2013 Friendship. c/n 10181.

Was also registered as: ZS-KVI; N863MA; OB-1693.

This aircraft was ordered new by Ansett-ANA - May 05, 1960

Entered onto the Dutch Aircraft Register as 'PH-FCV' - June 23, 1961

Registered to NV Kon. Ned. Vliegtuigenfabriek Fokker (CofR 803)

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-FNI - June 26, 1961

Registered to Ansett-ANA

First flown as 'PH-FCV' - July 06, 1961

Accepted by Ansett-ANA at Amsterdam (Schipho)l - July 14, 1961

The aircraft was configured to seat 40 passengers

Departed Amsterdam (Schiphol) on the delivery flight to Australia - July 16, 1961

It arrived at Melbourne (Essendon) on completion of the delivery flight - July 25, 1961

Delivery route: Amsterdam - Rome - Athens - Beirut - Damascus - Bahrain - Shajah - Karachi - Ahmadabad -

Calcutta - Bangkok - Saigon - Zamboanga - Biak - Darwin - Alice Springs - Melbourne

Flight crew: Captains C. Henry, A. Britton, L. Davis; Navigator F/O P. Smith

Operated its first revenue service - July 1961

Used to transport 'The Beatles' during their Australian tour from Adelaide - Melbourne - June 14, 1964

Operated its last service in the Ansett-ANA livery - April 15, 1968

Repainted in the Airlines of South Australia livery at Melbourne (Essendon)

The aircraft was named 'City of Whyalla'

Registered to Airlines of South Australia - May 10, 1968

Registered to Ansett Airlines of South Australia - November 01, 1968

Registered to Ansett Transport Industries (Operations) Pty Ltd, Melbourne - November 25, 1969

The aircraft was involved in an armed highjacking incident on approach to Alice Springs Airport - November 15, 1972

It was operating the service Adelaide - Alice Springs - Tennant Creek - Darwin as AN232

Flight crew: Captain R. Young; F/O W. Gowans; Hostesses K. Goreham, G. Rennie

The hijacker was a Czech migrant Miloslav Hrabinec

He entered the cockpit and demanded a parachute, a jump-suit and to be flown 1,600 km out into the desert

A Cessna 205 was taxied up to the Fokker with Police Constable P. Sanderman posing as a navigator

The hijacker left the Fokker with Hostess K. Goreham as a hostage

On approaching the Cessna he became suspicious of Constable Sanderman and challenged him

A scuffle between Constable Sanderman and hijacker took place on the tarmac

The hijacker sustained a fatal self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head and Sanderman was seriously injured

The remaining flight crew and 28 passengers on the Fokker were uninjured

The aircraft sustained a number of shotgun pellet holes and dents in the skin near the front door

Transferred to Ansett Airlines of Australia - October 01, 1977

Operated its final revenue service Wynyard - Melbourne (Tullamarine) as AN854 - December 18, 1980

Sold to Commercial Airways Pty Ltd t/a Comair - January 16, 1981

Departed Melbourne (Tullamarine) on the ferry flight to South Africa as AN27 - January 23, 1981

Ferry route: Melbourne - Alice Springs - Darwin - Denpasar - Singapore - Medan - Colombo - Bombay -

Muscat - Salalah - Djibouti - Nairobi - Blantyre - Johannesburg

Flight crew: Captains K. Patton, R. Swan (Ansett), D. Grace (Comair); Navigator B. S. McEwen

The Ansett crew ferried the aircraft as far as Bombay

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - February 02, 1981

Entered onto the South African Aircraft Register as ZS-KVI - ?

Withdrawn from Comair service and stored at Johannesburg - September 1995

Cancelled from the South African Aircraft Register - November 12, 1997

Sold to Maxfly Aviation, Inc - November 25, 1997

Sold to Joda LCC dba Joda Partnership - November 25, 1997

Leased to Servicio de Transport Aerei Turistica dba Aero Condor - November 25, 1997

Entered onto the United States Aircraft Register as N863MA - November 28, 1997

Registered to Joda Partnership

It arrived at Lima, Peru on delivery to Joda Partnership - February 14, 1998

Entered onto the Peruvian Aircraft Register as OB-1693 - April 30, 1998

Leased to Servicio de Transport Aerei Turistica dba Aero Condor as the registered operator

Reregistered as OB-1693-P - March 04, 2003

It was observed parked at Lima - April 19, 2005

Transferred to AeroCondor Express SA - May 03, 2006

The aircraft was noted as no longer being registered as OB-1693 - November 2008

Current status - ?

VH-FNI. Ansett-ANA - in the original livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, March 18, 1962.

(E. D. Daw Collection Copyright Image 1999-041.)

VH-FNI. Ansett-ANA - in the original livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, November 1962.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-405.)

VH-FNI. Ansett-ANA - in the original livery at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1993-575.)

VH-FNI. Ansett-ANA - in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-406.)

VH-FNI. Ansett-ANA - in the standard livery at Canberra Airport, October 09, 1966.

(G. Bennett Collection Copyright Image 1993-372.)

VH-FNI. Airlines of South Australia - in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, date unknown.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-565.)

VH-FNI. Airlines of South Australia - in the standard livery at Melbourne Essendon Airport, May 1969.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-564.)

VH-FNI. Ansett Airlines of South Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Adelaide West Beach Airport, October 1972.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-457.)

VH-FNI. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, December 18, 1979.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-566.)

VH-FNI. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 13, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-567.)

VH-FNI. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 15, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Copyright Image 1999-568.)

VH-FNI. Ansett Airlines of Australia - in the 'delta' livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, November 28, 1980.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1993-373.)

VH-FNI. Comair - in the basic original livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1993-374.)

VH-FNI. Comair - in the basic original livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1981.

(G. Bennett Copyright Image 1993-375.)

VH-FNI. Comair - in the basic original livery at Melbourne Tullamarine Airport, January 1981.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-591.)

VH-FNI. Comair - in the basic original livery at Johannesburg Airport, February 01, 1981.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-492.)

ZS-KVI. Comair - in the modified livery at Johannesburg Airport, February 1983.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-569.)

ZS-KVI. Comair - in the modified livery at Johannesburg Airport, January 1985.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1993-187.)

ZS-KVI. Comair - in the modified livery at Johannesburg Airport, October 1987.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1999-570.)

ZS-KVI. Comair - in the new livery at Johannesburg Airport, March 1996.

(I. Malcolm Copyright Image 1999-571.)

OB-1693. Aero Condor - in the standard livery at an unknown airport, April 2005.

(R. N. Smith Collection Copyright Image 1993-107.)