Herkdrv
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Barajas plane crash
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Type of plane in Madrid crash old but seen as safe
Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:13pm EDT
By Bill Rigby
NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 line of planes is aging and nearly obsolete but generally regarded as safe, despite the fatal crash of one in Madrid on Wednesday with the loss of about 145 lives.
The single-aisle, twin-engine family of aircraft has been a workhorse for U.S. airlines for almost 30 years with only some minor maintenance issues in the United States earlier this year.
It is only now being phased out, but more because of its costly fuel consumption than its safety record.
"It's been a long time since one of these had an accident," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at aerospace consultants Teal Group. "They are a little thirsty by standards of other planes, but they have a very strong safety record."
The type of plane that crashed in Madrid was a 15-year-old MD-82, an early variant of the MD-80 family, which can carry up to 172 passengers on short and medium-range flights up to about 2,700 miles (4,300 km).
The MD-80 family was designed by McDonnell Douglas in the 1970s as the successor to its DC-9 line and entered service in 1980. The last one rolled off the California production line in 1999, two years after Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) bought McDonnell Douglas.
Overall, 1,191 MD-80s were delivered to 60 airlines across the world and 977 remain in service, according to World Airliner Census, published by industry trade magazine Flight International.
The MD-80 was overtaken in the 1990s by Boeing's revamped 737 and rival Airbus's A320 line of planes, which offer better fuel efficiency and comfort. Airbus, Boeing's arch rival, is a unit of European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).
SAFER THAN AVERAGE
MD-80s are safer than average airliners, according to Boeing.
"The fatal hull loss accident rate (for MD-80s) is 0.34 per million departures," Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx said. That means one serious crash involving fatalities for every 3 million or so take-offs. The industry average for western-built jets is 0.9 per million departures, he said.
Boeing offered condolences to the families and friends of those lost in the Madrid crash, and said it was ready to provide technical assistance to Spanish authorities.
McDonnell Douglas delivered 539 MD-82s in total between 1981 and 1997. AMR Corp's (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) American Airlines was the biggest buyer, ordering 234 of the aircraft. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is also a major operator, along with now-defunct TWA.
Only now is American Airlines getting round to replacing its MD-80s in earnest, in the face of soaring fuel prices. The world's largest airline said last week it would speed up deliveries of 737s in order to phase out its gas-guzzling MD-80s more quickly.
American's fleet came under scrutiny earlier this year, when the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered the carrier to ground some 300 MD-80s to inspect wiring in the right wheel well, which it said could be a fire risk if not properly covered and secured.
Safety officials have paid closer attention to aircraft wiring since TWA flight 800 was lost over the Atlantic Ocean in 1996. Investigators believe a wiring short triggered a catastrophic fuel tank explosion.
However, the wiring inspection issue never posed an immediate safety risk, according to industry-watchers.
"I don't know of any accusations of original equipment safety concerns on the MD-80. It's universally considered a safe and robust airframe," said Aboulafia.
Early reports suggest an engine fire may have caused Wednesday's crash. The engines on the plane were manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of U.S. conglomerate United Technologies Corp
Wed Aug 20, 2008 4:13pm EDT
By Bill Rigby
NEW YORK, Aug 20 (Reuters) - The McDonnell Douglas MD-80 line of planes is aging and nearly obsolete but generally regarded as safe, despite the fatal crash of one in Madrid on Wednesday with the loss of about 145 lives.
The single-aisle, twin-engine family of aircraft has been a workhorse for U.S. airlines for almost 30 years with only some minor maintenance issues in the United States earlier this year.
It is only now being phased out, but more because of its costly fuel consumption than its safety record.
"It's been a long time since one of these had an accident," said Richard Aboulafia, an analyst at aerospace consultants Teal Group. "They are a little thirsty by standards of other planes, but they have a very strong safety record."
The type of plane that crashed in Madrid was a 15-year-old MD-82, an early variant of the MD-80 family, which can carry up to 172 passengers on short and medium-range flights up to about 2,700 miles (4,300 km).
The MD-80 family was designed by McDonnell Douglas in the 1970s as the successor to its DC-9 line and entered service in 1980. The last one rolled off the California production line in 1999, two years after Boeing Co (BA.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) bought McDonnell Douglas.
Overall, 1,191 MD-80s were delivered to 60 airlines across the world and 977 remain in service, according to World Airliner Census, published by industry trade magazine Flight International.
The MD-80 was overtaken in the 1990s by Boeing's revamped 737 and rival Airbus's A320 line of planes, which offer better fuel efficiency and comfort. Airbus, Boeing's arch rival, is a unit of European aerospace group EADS (EAD.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).
SAFER THAN AVERAGE
MD-80s are safer than average airliners, according to Boeing.
"The fatal hull loss accident rate (for MD-80s) is 0.34 per million departures," Boeing spokesman Jim Proulx said. That means one serious crash involving fatalities for every 3 million or so take-offs. The industry average for western-built jets is 0.9 per million departures, he said.
Boeing offered condolences to the families and friends of those lost in the Madrid crash, and said it was ready to provide technical assistance to Spanish authorities.
McDonnell Douglas delivered 539 MD-82s in total between 1981 and 1997. AMR Corp's (AMR.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) American Airlines was the biggest buyer, ordering 234 of the aircraft. Delta Air Lines (DAL.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) is also a major operator, along with now-defunct TWA.
Only now is American Airlines getting round to replacing its MD-80s in earnest, in the face of soaring fuel prices. The world's largest airline said last week it would speed up deliveries of 737s in order to phase out its gas-guzzling MD-80s more quickly.
American's fleet came under scrutiny earlier this year, when the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration ordered the carrier to ground some 300 MD-80s to inspect wiring in the right wheel well, which it said could be a fire risk if not properly covered and secured.
Safety officials have paid closer attention to aircraft wiring since TWA flight 800 was lost over the Atlantic Ocean in 1996. Investigators believe a wiring short triggered a catastrophic fuel tank explosion.
However, the wiring inspection issue never posed an immediate safety risk, according to industry-watchers.
"I don't know of any accusations of original equipment safety concerns on the MD-80. It's universally considered a safe and robust airframe," said Aboulafia.
Early reports suggest an engine fire may have caused Wednesday's crash. The engines on the plane were manufactured by Pratt & Whitney, a unit of U.S. conglomerate United Technologies Corp
DOVPILOT
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Did you even read the article? 153 DOA
McNugget
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grog_sit_reserv
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Papa Woody
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Sounds like a no-flap takeoff attempt.
Romulus all over again?
<<Despite initial eyewitness accounts that an explosion and fire were spotted as the aircraft ascended, an airport video of the attempted departure and crash reviewed by inspectors revealed that the fire-sparking explosion occurred "several seconds after" the MD-82 hit the runway, El Pais reported, citing sources close the investigation. The video also revealed that the aircraft fell to the right after its slight ascent.>>
Romulus all over again?
<<Despite initial eyewitness accounts that an explosion and fire were spotted as the aircraft ascended, an airport video of the attempted departure and crash reviewed by inspectors revealed that the fire-sparking explosion occurred "several seconds after" the MD-82 hit the runway, El Pais reported, citing sources close the investigation. The video also revealed that the aircraft fell to the right after its slight ascent.>>
ThreeGreens
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- Feb 3, 2002
- Posts
- 101
Looks like one reverser was deployed...
http://www.aviationweek.com/aw/gene...line=Reverse Thrust Deployed In Spanair Crash
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