Evergreen International Airlines
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Founded | 1975[1] | ||||||
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Commenced operations | November 28, 1975 | ||||||
Ceased operations | December 31, 2013 | ||||||
Hubs | |||||||
Fleet size | 4 | ||||||
Destinations | 11 | ||||||
Parent company | Evergreen International Aviation | ||||||
Headquarters | McMinnville, Oregon | ||||||
Website | evergreenairlines |
Evergreen International Airlines was a
Evergreen also maintained a large aircraft maintenance and storage facility at the
History
CIA front
The airline was established by Delford Smith (founder and owner) and began operations in 1960 as
Evergreen served as an Agency front widely over its history:
Wherever there was a hot spot in the world, Evergreen's helicopters and later airplanes were never far behind. Evergreen's hardware was so inextricably linked with political intrigue that rumors swirled that the company was owned by, or a front for, the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). Indeed, several of the company's senior executives either worked for the agency or had close ties to it.
Smith never let on, disingenuously telling the Portland Oregonian in 1988, "We don't know when we've ever worked for them [the CIA], but if we did we're proud of it. We believe in patriotism, and, you know, they're not the [Russian spy service] KGB."[7]
Evergreen bought assets during the 1970s that were previously linked to CIA operations including Montana's Johnson Flying Service and the CIA's aviation 'skunk works' located at the Pinal Airpark in Arizona where Evergreen subsequently performed special maintenance such as servicing the NASA operated Boeing 747 Shuttle Carrier Aircraft used to transport the Space Shuttle. Evergreen subsequently sold the Pinal Airpark facility to Relativity Capital in 2011.[7]
Officially, the company provided "aviation services" for the CIA, including illegal-drug abatement spraying in Mexico and South America and transporting the
As public government contractor
Evergreen performed more than military and intelligence community work, also servicing other government agencies in the U.S. as well as in other nations. Its
"All told, Smith said his company flew in 168 countries over the years. 'We were all over the world. Everywhere they needed a helicopter, they needed an airplane as well'", said Smith.[7]
Aircraft in film
One of Evergreen's Boeing 747 airplanes (registered N473EV, which suffered an in-flight engine separation in 1993)[10] starred in the 1990 action film Die Hard 2.[11]
A Boeing 727 (registered N727EV) appeared in episode 8 of season 4 of Remington Steele titled "Coffee Tea or Steele".[12]
Bankruptcy
On November 9, 2013, it was announced that Evergreen Airlines would close on November 30, 2013, due to financial troubles.[13][14] This information was initially denied by Evergreen, but shortly afterwards admitted:[15] "Evergreen International Airlines flew its last flight Monday [December 2, 2013] Mike Hines, chairman of its parent company board, acknowledged".[16]
On December 31, 2013, Evergreen International Airlines filed a Chapter 7 petition in federal bankruptcy court in Delaware. The bankruptcy filing lists seven entities as submitting the Chapter 7 petition: Evergreen Aviation Ground Logistics Enterprise, Evergreen Defense and Security Services, Evergreen International Airlines, Evergreen International Aviation, Evergreen Systems Logistics, Evergreen Trade, and Supertanker Services.[17]
In June 2014, Evergreen had declared Chapter 7 bankruptcy[18][19] and began a liquidation of assets, including its headquarters campus in McMinnville.[20]
By the time of Smith's death November 7, 2014, the remains of his once billion-dollar Evergreen Aviation empire had been sold off, shut down, or was in bankruptcy and under investigation by tax authorities.[7]
Destinations
Evergreen International Airlines operated the following freight services (as of December 2012):[citation needed]
- Domestic scheduled destinations: .
- International scheduled destinations: Tokyo, Nagoya, Hong Kong, Shanghai.
Fleet
The Evergreen International Airlines fleet consisted of the following aircraft:[21][22][23]
Aircraft | Total | Introduced | Retired | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
Airbus A300B4F | 3 | 2001 | 2005 | |
Beechcraft 1900D
|
2 | 2006 | 2013 | |
Boeing 727-100F
|
35 | 1979 | 1999 | |
Boeing 747-100
|
3 | 1988 | 2013 | |
Boeing 747-100SF | 11 | 1988 | 2011 | |
Boeing 747-200C | 2 | 1994 | 2012 | Also used in charter service |
Boeing 747-200F
|
1 | 2007 | 2012 | |
Boeing 747-200SF | 6 | 1995 | 2012 | |
Boeing 747-400 | 1 | 2007 | 2010 | |
Boeing 747-400BDSF | 1 | 2012 | 2013 | |
Boeing 747-400BCF
|
2 | 2012 | 2013 | |
Boeing 747-400F
|
1 | 2013 | 2013 | Operated for Saudia |
Boeing 747-400LCF Dreamlifter | 3 | 2006 | 2010 | Operated for Boeing |
Boeing 757-200
|
2 | 2006 | 2009 | |
Convair CV-580
|
9 | 1975 | 1991 | |
Curtiss C-46 Commando | 1 | 1975 | 1978 | |
Dassault Falcon 20 | 4 | 1983 | 1987 | |
Douglas C-47 Skytrain | 5 | 1977 | 1990 | |
Douglas DC-8-33F | 2 | 1976 | 1979 | |
Douglas DC-8-52
|
3 | 1977 | 1982 | |
Douglas DC-8-61CF | 1 | 1982 | 1985 | |
Douglas DC-8-62AF | 1 | 1988 | 1998 | |
Douglas DC-8-63CF | 4 | 1979 | 1985 | |
Douglas DC-8-73CF | 2 | 1988 | 1994 | |
Fokker F27 Friendship | 1 | 1979 | 1979 | |
Grumman Gulfstream II | 1 | 1988 | 1994 | |
Learjet 35A
|
1 | 1986 | 2013 | |
Lockheed L-188A Electra
|
9 | 1975 | 1990 | |
Lockheed L-1011 TriStar | 1 | 1999 | 2001 | |
North American Sabreliner | 1 | 1987 | 1989 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-15MC | 2 | 1988 | 2011 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32CF | 5 | 1976 | 2000 | |
McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33RC | 8 | 1987 | 2005 |
Evergreen previously operated three
The airline modified a
In August 2007, Evergreen announced that it had ordered three
A division of Evergreen, Evergreen Airspur, also operated de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter STOL aircraft in scheduled commuter airline operations in southern California.[30]
Accidents and incidents
- March 18, 1989: Kelly Air Force Base outside San Antonio to Tinker Air Force Base outside of Oklahoma City, with a stop at Carswell Air Force Base in Fort Worth. As the plane was departing, the cargo door on the plane opened; the pilot immediately requested emergency return to Carswell. As the plane was approaching on base leg, the cargo door fully opened, which caused the plane to yaw to the left and right, and then roll, until crashing near Saginaw in an inverted position. Both pilots on board were killed. The investigation found that when closing the cargo door, the copilot did not close it fully, but since the locked and latched indicators were applied incorrectly, the copilot thought the door was fully locked.[31]
- December 12, 1991: An Evergreen Boeing 747-100, N475EV, flying from Newark to Tokyo at 31,000 feet suddenly banked 90 degrees to the right and descended at an angle of 30-35 degrees, falling over 10,000 feet before the pilots could regain control. The pilots stabilized the aircraft at 22,500 feet before landing safely in Duluth, Minnesota. Official reports indicate the aircraft reached Mach 0.98 during its descent with some reports suggesting the plane broke the sound barrier, reaching speeds as high as Mach 1.25.[32][33]
- March 31, 1993: Lee waves were believed responsible for the in-flight separation of the #2 engine on an Evergreen Boeing 747-100 operating for Japan Airlines as Japan Air Lines Cargo Flight 46E, registration: N473EV, near Anchorage, Alaska.[34] The plane involved was used in the movie Die Hard 2. The plane was subsequently repaired, continuing in service until 2001.
See also
References
- ISBN 0-9653993-8-9. Archived from the originalon November 28, 2016. Retrieved September 11, 2018.
- ^ a b c d "Legendary CIA Airline Now in Danger of Crashing". Wired. June 6, 2011.
- ^ a b "Directory: World Airlines". Flight International. April 3, 2007. pp. 79–80.
- ^ "EMC - Location". www.evergreenairlines.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011.
- ^ Thomas, Evan (April 7, 1986). "American Scene, In Arizona: A Spymaster Remembered". Time. Archived from the original on July 10, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
- ^ Long, James; Lauren Cowen (August 14, 1988). "The Evergreen Story, Part 1". The Oregonian. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g Huber, Mark. "Evergreen's Del Smith Dead at 84 | AIN". Aviation International News.
- ^ "Evergreen International Aviation, Inc. - SourceWatch". www.sourcewatch.org.
- ^ Bates, David (December 21, 1999). "Airline With an Attitude: A Special Report on Evergreen Aviation". Yamhill Valley News-Register. Archived from the original on October 5, 2011.
- ^ National Transportation Safety Board, "Aircraft Accident Report / In-flight Engine Separation / Japan Airlines, Inc., Flight 46E / Boeing 747-121, N473EV / Anchorage, Alaska / March 31, 1993"
- ^ Simon D. Beck, "The Aircraft-Spotter's Film and Television Companion"
- ^ "Registration Search For N727EV - PlaneLogger". planelogger.com. Retrieved August 10, 2023.
- Statesman-Journal. Archived from the originalon November 9, 2013.
- ^ Read, Richard (November 9, 2013). "Evergreen ran out of runway; Company closing down after struggling with rising fuel prices and runaway debt". The Oregonian. p. B7. Retrieved November 9, 2013.
- ^ "Evergreen Press Release". www.evergreenairlines.com. Archived from the original on December 3, 2013.
- ^ Montesano, Nicole (December 6, 2013). "Evergreen lands its last flight". Yamhill Valley News-Register. p. 1. Retrieved May 13, 2014.
- ^ Francis, Mike (January 1, 2014). "Evergreen International Airlines files voluntary Chapter 7 petition on New Year's Eve". The Oregonian. Portland, OR. Retrieved January 11, 2014.
- ^ "Evergreen International Airlines files voluntary Chapter 7 petition on New Year's Eve". The Oregonian. January 2, 2014. Retrieved June 26, 2014.
- ^ "Evergreen International Airlines Chapter 7 Petition" (PDF). PacerMonitor. Retrieved June 15, 2016.
- ^ Giegerich, Andy (August 20, 2014). "Report: Evergreen's McMinnville campus draws interest from three buyers". Portland Business Journal. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
- ^ "Evergreen International Airlines Fleet". Planespotters. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Evergreen International Airlines Fleet". PlaneLogger. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Evergreen International Airlines". rzjets. Retrieved November 30, 2020.
- ^ "Boeing News Release". Archived from the original on April 16, 2012.
- ^ "The SOFIA Boeing 747SP". Archived from the original on November 13, 2006.
- ^ "Giant jet unlikely to attack California fire". tucsoncitizen.com. Archived from the original on June 7, 2010.
- ^ "Supertanker Contract Could Land Firefighting Jet in Area".[permanent dead link]
- ^ Sofer, Roni (June 20, 1995). "Evergreen Supertanker on its way to Israel". Ynetnews. Ynet. Retrieved May 17, 2012.
- ^ "Evergreen orders 747-400BCFs". Flight Global, 14/08/07
- ^ http://www.airliners.net, photo of Evergreen Airspur DHC-6 Twin Otter at LAX
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-33RC N931F Saginaw, TX". aviation-safety.net.
- ^ Acohido, Byron (December 19, 1991). "Dive! 747 In Unexplained Incident -- Canada Investigating Automatic Pilot Controls After Near-Supersonic Scare". The Seattle Times. Retrieved December 15, 2021.
- ^ "Rumbling of 747 at Mach 1 as test jet nears speed of sound". Chicago Tribune. December 20, 1992.
- ^ "In-Flight Engine Separation Japan Airlines, Inc., Flight 46E Boeing 747-121, N473EV" (PDF).