On 10 July 2018, a Convair 340 owned by Dutch aviation museum Aviodrome crashed during a trial flight in Pretoria, South Africa.

The aircraft suffered an engine fire moments after takeoff,[1][2] and crashed into a factory building as the crew attempted to return it to Wonderboom Airport.

[4] It was retired from USAF service in 1987 and was stored for five years before its conversion for civilian use and operation by several companies, eventually being acquired by Rovos Air (the aviation division of South African rail operator Rovos Rail), which began using the aircraft for luxury safari trips in South Africa in 2001.

[6] The museum had the aircraft restored and painted in the colours of Martin's Air Charter, a Dutch air charter company that operated Convairs in the 1950s (still operating in 2018, as cargo airline Martinair); and plans were made to fly the aircraft to the Netherlands through eastern Africa and central Europe, departing on 12 July.

[8] Both men were members of Australia's Historical Aviation Restoration Society (HARS) and had previously flown another former Rovos Air Convair aircraft to HARS' home base at Illawarra Regional Airport south of Sydney in 2016; and each had over 30 years' flying experience in various aircraft types.