07/31/2011. Ordered by Trans Australia Airlines (TAA) on October 10, 1958, the aircraft was first flown on May 19, 1959. It was the first Electra off the production line with up-tilted engines to correct a propeller resonance. It was delivered to TAA on June 15, 1959, registered as VH-TLA and named John Eyre, it started service on July 8.

Weakness of the engine mountings, which led to nacelle vibration and then to wing flexing and final failure at the root was determined to be the cause of three fatal Electra crashes. To counter the problem, Lockheed started the Lockheed Electra Achievement Program (LEAP) to modify the existing Electras by adding bracing and stiffeners to the engine nacelles and replacing some of the wing skin with heavier-gauge panels. VH-TLA underwent LEAP-modifications between January 27 and February 23, 1961.

Ten years later, April 30, 1971 the aircraft was stored at Brisbane, Queensland, and on January 21, 1972 it was sold to Concare Aircraft Leasing of Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA and registered N188LA. A couple of month later it was lease-purchased by Transair Corporation of Nevada and subsequently leased to Royal Air Lao, regitered as XW-PKA and named Tiao Anou it arrived at Vientiane, Laos on July 18, 1972.

In September 1974 the aircraft was seized at Seletar, Singapore, due to defaulted payments by Transair. Late 1975 the aircraft was sold to American Jet Industries, cannibalized, and in December of that year it was scrapped at Seletar.