XA-LOC      Douglas DC-7C                  (c/n

                               

                                     Here's a less than illustrious shot taken (into the sun, unfortunmately) at LAX in 1959.  XA-LOC
                                     was one of four DC-7Cs delivered to CMA in 1957.  They were used in head-to-head competition
                                     with Aeronaves de Mexico (who had Constellations at the time).  However, when that latter airline
                                     put Bristol Britannias into service, the DC-7Cs were obsoleted overnight and CMA got rid of them
                                     with a year or so.   It wasn't until they took delivery of their Comets that Mexicana could again give
                                     true competetion to Aeronaves on the international flights.  XA-LOC wound up with Airlift Inter-
                                     national (as N2282) who had logistics contracts during the Viet Nam War.  In September of 1966
                                     the aircraft failed to rotate on take off from Tachikawa AFB in Japan and hit the boundary fence.
                                     Investigation showed the payload had been improperly placed resulting in a forward c of g condition.
                                     Although the crew survived the accident, the aircraft was a write off.