Popular jet in use worldwide

Published on Wednesday 20 August 2008 22:46

THE jet that crashed on take-off in Spain yesterday is a medium-range plane produced by Boeing, the United States aviation giant.

The MD-82 is a single-aisle plane, popular with regional airlines, and is a member of the MD-80 family, with 934 in operation.

The line of planes, which seat up to 172, was originally made by McDonnell Douglas as part of its DC-9 range, entering service in the early 1980s. Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997, and the last of the MD-80 line rolled off its production line in 1999.

American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Alitalia and SAS – the parent company of Spanair – are the main users of the models.

They have two rear, fuselage-mounted turbofan engines, small, highly-efficient wings and a T-tail. They also have a distinctive five-abreast seating in economy.

The one that crashed in Madrid is believed to be a 172-seater with a 3,800km range, capable of carrying 67,800kg. Its typical cruising speed is 811km/h. It is 45.1 metres long and has a wingspan of 32.8 metres.

Earlier this month, the Federal Aviation Administration ordered US airlines to conduct safety inspections to look for cracking on overwing frames on certain MD-80 models.

In April, American grounded its MD-80 fleet for inspections related to electrical wiring as a result of an FAA safety audit. More than 3,000 flights were cancelled.

The last crash involving an MD-82 happened on 16 September, 2007, when One-Two-GO Airlines Flight 269 crashed at the side of the runway and exploded in bad weather at Phuket International Airport in Thailand. Of the 130 people on board the plane, 89 died.