Photographed at Coast Guard Air Station Miami. The aircraft was built as USAF MC-131A Samaritan 52-5785 and served until retired to the MASDC "Boneyard" at Tucson in February 1975. In April 1976 it was transferred to the USCG and re-designated HC-131A but only served until February 1982 when it was again retired to MASDC. It was civilianised as N27232 in May 1982 but nothing of its subsequent history could be traced, and the registration was cancelled in November 2012.

The US Coast Guard received 23 ex UASF HC-131As from the USAF in 1976 as a stop gap replacement for the HU-16 pending delivery of the HU-25 Guardian. A few of these were held in storage at MASDC for spares use. 5805 (ex 52-5805) was later registered to Central Air Service as N81559 in May 1989 and sold to Starship Inc in 1996. The registration was cancelled in July 1997 as exported to Mexico but the aircraft remained in store at Avra Valley and was later scrapped. The nose survives in the Pima museum collection.

Delivered to the USAF as C-131A 52-5788 in 1954. To the US Coast Guard as HC-131A 5788 in 1976. Sold as N4477Y in 1983. Cancelled from the register in 1994. Reported to have been scrapped at Travis AFB, CA.

Owned by Air Tahoma at the time this picture was taken, this Convair later found a new home in Panama registered as HP-1614CTH to Cargo Three Panama.

Operated by the University of Washington.

US Air Force C-131A Smaratin 52-5783 was transferred to the US Coast Guard in 1976. When the Convairs were retired, 5783 was sold to Quo Vadis Incorporated who registered it as N2493F June 1984 - July 2013.

With HC-131A 5782 parked behind.

In 1987 this Convair was used by the NASA as a Space Shuttle Crew Escape System testbed. It was fitted with a CES (Crew Escape System) mockup on the left side of the rear fuselage. The aircraft was stored here at California City by 1993, and preserved by 1997, reportedly by a set-up called the California Museum of Air and Space.

As of Sep 1987 this Convair was used by the NASA as a Space Shuttle Crew Escape System testbed. This photo still shows the CES (Crew Escape System) mockup that was fitted to the left side of the rear fuselage. The CES was a candidate concept developed to provide crew egress capability during Space Shuttle controlled gliding flight. Actual tests of this system with this Convair began on 20 Nov 1987, whereby life-like dummies were pulled from the modified aircraft's side hatch mockup by tractor rockets. The aircraft had been stored here at California City by 1993, and preserved by 1997, reportedly by a set-up called the California Museum of Air and Space.

Operated by the University of Washington for atmospheric research. I thought the tail was a different colour but in fact its faded and discoloured. Obviously it got a paint job by the time Mark Piacentini photographed it. Also note that there is no observation dome on the fuselage in my photo.

Originally USAF C-131 52-5785 this Convair was transferred to the US Coast Guard in 1976. Pictured in the twilight of it's military service, the aircraft was sold as N27232 in May 1982.

Delivered to the USAF as C-131A 52-5792, this Convair was transferred to the Coast Guard in June 1976. Sold in 1984 as N5575A, it would get a rear cargo door and fly for Cargo Plus and Starship before sold in March 1995 in Mexico . Registered XA-SOG with Aero Internacional, the aircraft was written off in a landing accident at Nuevo Laredo, Tamaulipas, Mexico January 24, 1997.

As is obvious, formerly 5794 with the US Coast Guard. It's still there to this day (year 2020) according to their website.

Ex USCG