01 March 2015

Sun Country's N152SY

Our March edition of "HNL RareBirds Classic" goes back to May 1996, and this Sun Country Airlines DC-10-15, N152SY (c/n 48289, l/n 365) seen above on Taxiway RT returning to the main terminal after an in-flight emergency. This particular flight departed for LAX, but had to return as the main landing gear canted forward, and could not retract. The flight crew made a 500-foot high pass in front of the HNL control tower, along the Runway 8L path, to verify the position of the main landing gear. HNL ARFF trucks from HNL's Station 2, abeam Runway 8R, stood by as the DC-10 flew out to dump fuel before landing on the Reef Runway without incident.

For a short period of time in the mid-1990s, Sun Country had DC-10-10 service between HNL and LAX. The livery seen above is the one prior to the current blue livery.

48289 was originally delivered to Mexicana as N1003W "Tolteca" (f/n 982) in December 1981, and remained with the airline until late 1994. It wore a variety of Mexicana liveries, including the "Ixcamilpa" tail livery, and a dark blue tail section. It was leased to AeroPerĂș in 1993, from May to October. The Wilmington Trust Company acquired this DC-10-10 in January 1995, and leased it Sun Country as N152SY. It was withdrawn from service in September 2000, and stored at GWO [Greenwood, MS], where it was scrapped in June 2002.

No comments: