On 14th September 1942 this 1653 Conversion Unit aircraft suffered from having one of it's undercarriage legs collapse at 12.10hrs while taxying at Burn airfield after one of the main wheels sank into a large hole by the side of the perimeter track.
Pilot - Name unknown.
Liberator AL619 was built by The Consolidated Aircraft Corporation at San Diego, California, USA and was purchased without contract by the British Purchasing Commission. In May 1942 it was collected by A.T.F.E.R.O. and flown to the UK, arriving at Scottish Aviation, Prestwick on 16th May 1942. It appears to have remained at Scottish Aviation until being taken on charge by 1653 Conversion Unit at Burn on 1st September 1942. As a result of the minor accident there on 14th September 1942 the damage was assessed as being Cat.E/FA. On the same date it was re-assessed and downgraded to repairable Re-Cat.B. It was dismantled and transported by B.R.B. for a repair in works at Scottish Aviation, Prestwick on 29th September 1942. Having undergone a repair and also modifications it was eventually taken on charge by 511 Squadron at Lyneham in Transport Command on 28th April 1944. On 9th May 1944 when it was registered as G-AGKT on the UK civilian register and transferred to the B.O.A.C. at Lyneham on 15th May 1944. The aeroplane was then flown to Australia later the same month as a "loan" aircraft. On 3rd June 1944 it was registered to Qantas Empire Airways at Mascot, Sydney, Australia. On 17th June 1944 it inaugurated the Perth-Colombo service. It survived until June 1947 when it was broken up at Mascot, Sydney. The registration was cancelled some months later on 4th December 1947.
In 1944 Quantas Empire Airways (QEA) became short of aircraft after many of it's aircraft had been impressed into the war effort. The company had also lost other aircraft through war losses and applied to the Air Ministry in London to seek aircraft they could use. The Air Ministry approved the transfer of two Liberators from the Brirish Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC) to QEA for use on the Indian Ocean route with one of the first two being AL619 / G-AGKT. After it was flown to Australia it went into the QEA's Brisbane/Archerfield workshops where it was modified with extra fuel tanks in the wings and added seats for seven passengers in the bomb bay. In total the Liberators made a total of 259 crossings of the Indian Ocean.