This aircraft was originally built as a L-1049E-55 but converted to L-1049E-82-140 on the production line

First flown - October 08, 1955

Entered onto the Australian Aircraft Register as VH-EAC - October 14, 1955

Registered to Qantas Empire Airways Ltd, Sydney

The aircraft was named 'Southern Wave'

It was accepted by Qantas Empire Airways at Burbank, California - October 20, 1955

Departed Burbank on the delivery flight to Australia - October 22, 1955

It arrived at Sydney (Kingsford Smith) on completion of the delivery flight - October 25, 1955

Operated its first revenue service Sydney (Kingsford Smith) - Tokyo - November 22, 1955

Withdrawn from service in Sydney for the fitment of weather radar - April 03, 1956

Returned to service - April 29, 1956

Withdrawn from service for conversion to Lockheed 1049G-01-55 standard - November 16, 1957

Returned to service - December 11, 1957

The aircraft crashed on take-off at Mauritius Airport en route to Cocos Island - August 24, 1960

The take-off was aborted before 'V1' was reached due to a power drop in Number 3 engine

As the aircraft skidded off the end of the wet runway the port undercarriage collapsed

The 38 passengers and 12 crew evacuated the aircraft before it was destroyed by fire

16 passengers and 4 crew suffered minor injuries

Flight crew: Captain E. Ditton; F/O S.D. Patrick; S/O R. Miller, G. Quinn; Navigator L. Sales;

Radio Officer S. Hocking; Engineers M. Picking, E. Chuter; Flight Stewards P. McGann, A. Mackie, N. Foster;

Flight Hostess M. Stewart-Dawson

Cancelled from the Australian Aircraft Register - August 1960

Aircraft had flown 13,842 hours at time of crash

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