How many short-fuselage Constellations were lost in accidents?

Before the stretch that led to the Super Constellation, the Constellation was built with a shorter fuselage in several versions: the L-049 and its derivative L-149, and later the longer-range L-649 and L-749. A total of 233 aircraft of this basic short-fuselage version were built. The pinnacle of the series was the L-749A, on sale from summer 1948, of which 60 were built.

The German Wikipedia's count separates the two families. From the first flight, in 1943, to the end of its service, the L-049/L-149 suffered 28 total losses, 18 of which together killed 590 people. The L-649/L-749 recorded 37 total losses between 1948 and January 2022, with 538 deaths in 22 of those accidents. A total loss doesn't necessarily mean fatalities: it also includes aircraft destroyed without deaths or written off due to damage.

The early years were the most delicate. The Wright R-3350 engine tended to catch fire due to overheating of the rear cylinder bank, and its crankshaft's high-magnesium alloy fed the fire and compromised the wing structure. The accidents led to the Constellation's airworthiness certificate being suspended until Lockheed modified the design. Once that stage was overcome, the aircraft became one of the great postwar airliners and flew for decades on passenger and, later, cargo routes. The last scheduled passenger flight of a Constellation within the US's 48 contiguous states was made by a TWA L-749 on May 11, 1967, between Philadelphia and Kansas City, when jets already dominated the main routes.