From Matt Evans at KMBC: "The plane was used as a research aircraft and sometimes flew celebrities across the country. It's been owned by the daughter of a TWA founder for the last 14 years.
Trans World Airlines called Kansas City home for more than 30 years when it was one of the biggest airlines in the country. Even though it's been defunct since 2001, the memory of the airline is kept alive at the TWA Museum at the Kansas City Downtown Airport."