 The aircraft was registered on June 23, 1967, and named "Sverre Viking" by SAS.Five days later, it was reregistered with Norwegian Air Lines, the Norwegian holding company of the SAS conglomerate, as owner.The DC-8-62 model had been custom-made by McDonnell Douglas for SAS to operate to Los Angeles with a full payload in all wind conditions, although the model was later sold to other airlines as well.