 It first flew on August 30, 1949, as "Flagship Ireland" for American Overseas Airlines, and was transferred to Pan American World Airways on September 28, 1950, after Pan Am's acquisition of American Overseas Airlines.At the time of the accident, the airframe had accumulated a total of 23,690 logged flying hours.The four engines of the aircraft had total times ranging from 13,459 hours to 16,961 hours, and had been overhauled within the last 1,249 hours of flight.