Farewell To A Jet-Age Workhorse: Samaritan’s Purse Retires America’s Last Active DC-8
Samaritan’s Purse will retire its Douglas DC-8 on Friday during a ceremony at Greensboro’s Piedmont Triad International Airport (GSO). The aircraft will be replaced by a more modern Boeing 767 to continue global relief missions from the group’s Airlift Response Center.
The Airframe That Wouldn’t Quit
Registered N782SP, the DC-8 joined Samaritan’s Purse in 2015 after a full refurbishment and re-engining. Its story stretches back to 1968, when it first flew for Finnair before later serving the French Air Force and Air Transport International. With Samaritan’s Purse, it became the organization’s heavy-lift anchor—flying into disaster zones where runway length, ground support, and speed of response all matter.
By The Numbers
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Service with Samaritan’s Purse: 2015–2025
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Missions flown: 217
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Aid delivered: 9.2 million lbs (≈4,173 tons)
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Recent work: Hurricane Melissa response to Jamaica, moving >40,000 lbs of relief supplies alongside the new 767
Why Retire It Now
After nearly six decades aloft, the DC-8’s airframe is nearing structural life limits. Spare parts are harder to source. A 767 offers more payload, better reliability, and lower fuel burn—critical advantages for time-sensitive humanitarian airlift.
Last Of Its Kind In The U.S.
N782SP was the final U.S.-registered DC-8 still flying. Crews say the aircraft drew crowds on international missions—aviation fans and locals alike coming out to photograph a living piece of jet-age history.
Where The DC-8 Made A Difference
From GSO the aircraft staged rapid deployments carrying field hospitals, water systems, generators, blankets, and medical supplies to communities in crisis—including Haiti, Ethiopia, the Bahamas, Ukraine, and Jamaica. The 767 has already begun assuming these missions, including recent airlifts of food packets, blankets, solar lights, and the organization’s mobile emergency hospital.
What Still Flies Elsewhere
Two DC-8s remain active outside the U.S.:
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SkyBus Cargo Charters (Peru) — OB-2231P (s/n 46125), a 55.75-year veteran that began with Air Canada in 1970 and later flew cargo for Astar before joining SkyBus in 2017.
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Trans Air Cargo Service (DR Congo) — 9S-AJO (s/n 46133), ex-World Airways passenger jet converted to freighter in the 1980s, later flying for Emery Worldwide and Gestair before entering service in 2011 with its current operator.
What’s Next For The Fleet
Samaritan’s Purse will consolidate heavy-lift operations around the Boeing 767, leveraging higher reliability and capacity to shorten response times. The DC-8’s retirement closes a chapter—but the mission continues with newer metal and the same urgency.
Bottom Line
Samaritan’s Purse is saying goodbye to N782SP, the last U.S.-based DC-8 still working for a living. After 217 missions and 9.2 million pounds of relief cargo, the jet will shut down for the final time at GSO—handing the baton to a 767 that can carry more, burn less, and keep critical aid moving when the world needs it most.
