This aircraft had quite a remarkable 32-year journey before yesterday's accident at Miami.
Boeing 767-33AER, MSN 27310, line number 545, first flew on June 17, 1994. It began life as a passenger aircraft and went on to serve airlines across Europe, Asia and Africa before being converted into a freighter.
Its journey included:
• 1994: Delivered to Sobelair as OO-SBY
• 2000: Joined Vietnam Airlines as VN-A768
• 2003: Returned to leasing company AWAS, then operated by Air Europa as EC-IQA
• 2006: Flew for Kenya Airways as 5Y-KQQ
• 2010: Joined Nordwind Airlines as VQ-BRA
• 2014: Withdrawn from service and stored at Shannon, Ireland
• 2015–16: Converted from a passenger Boeing 767-300ER into a BDSF freighter
• 2016: Joined Atlas Air and later Amazon Prime Air as N1997A, named “Amazon One”
• 2024–25: Stored at Miami-Opa Locka before returning to service
• January 2025: Began operating for Amazon Prime Air under 21 Air
After more than three decades in service, spanning passenger operations on three continents and a second life as a cargo freighter, N1997A's journey came to a tragic end at Miami International Airport.