This ninth F-27 off the production line was delivered to Aer Lingus as EI-AKD "St Flannan" January 23, 1959. Returned to Fokker 7 years later, it would like many of the first F-27s, be used by many airlines; Lufttransport Unternehmen (LTU), Spantax and Aviaco among them before coming to Pilgrim Airlines in January 1982. The airline merged with Business Express in 1986 and the City of Manchester was withdrawn in 1990. It was subsequently used as a source for parts.

With three intersecting runways, DCA was a little hectic during peak traffic, and s-turns and runway changes were common. Pilgrim is turning left for 18, after making a right turn off the approach for 21.