# McDonnell Douglas MD-11
The **McDonnell Douglas MD-11** is a three-engine wide-body airliner developed as a stretched, updated successor to the DC-10, and flown today almost exclusively as a freighter. The design project began in 1986, the prototype made its first flight on January 10, 1990, and production ended around a decade later after the type failed to meet its early range targets and passenger airlines moved to twin-engine wide-bodies.[1](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-11/TSB_SR_Flt_111.pdf) • [2](https://md-eleven.net/MD11-History-Developement) • [3](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/1999-03-19-Boeing-Rolls-Out-First-MD-10-Freighter-For-FedEx) The type certificate, A22WE, is now held by The Boeing Company, which merged with [McDonnell Douglas](https://www.edgepedia.org/mcdonnell-douglas) in 1997.[4](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FSBR_MD-11_Rev_3_Draft.pdf) • [5](https://apnews.com/article/32f96f28019c286031befe6d05bb424f)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Origin | Design project began in 1986; derived from the DC-10 trijet[1](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-11/TSB_SR_Flt_111.pdf) • [6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf) |
| First flight | January 10, 1990[2](https://md-eleven.net/MD11-History-Developement) |
| Size vs DC-10 | 18.6 feet (5.6 m) longer than the DC-10, carrying about 50 more passengers[6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf) |
| Seating | 285 in a three-class arrangement to 410 all-economy; extended-range (ER) feature available on all versions[6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf) |
| Peak service | By January 1998, 174 delivered, in service with more than 20 operators serving more than 100 cities in 55 countries on more than 270 scheduled daily flights[6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf) |
| Certification | Type certificate A22WE covering MD-11, MD-11F, MD-10-10F, and MD-10-30F; pilot type rating MD-11[4](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FSBR_MD-11_Rev_3_Draft.pdf) |
| Status (2026) | About 109 airframes, all freighters averaging more than 30 years old; operators UPS (retired), FedEx, and Western Global Airlines[7](https://apnews.com/article/f4435d93283b51153596108ac7eba45a) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/9832be76e1a025ba2b89582778ee45db) |
## Development
McDonnell Douglas built 446 DC-10s between 1970 and 1988, and for a time the final DC-10s and the first MD-11s were in work side by side.[2](https://md-eleven.net/MD11-History-Developement) The MD-11 kept the DC-10's three-engine layout and general configuration but stretched the fuselage by 18.6 feet (5.6 meters) and added about 50 seats, with an extended-range option offered on all versions.[6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf) A 1990 SAE technical paper by M. D'Esposito, "Comparison of DC-10 and MD-11 Designs," documented the engineering differences at the time the type entered service.[9](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/comparison-dc-10-md-11-designs-901806)
The program fell short commercially. Boeing's historical product summary records the fleet at its peak: 174 aircraft delivered by January 1998, serving more than 100 cities in 55 countries.[6](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf)
## Flight characteristics
The stretched, heavier MD-11 handled differently from its predecessor. To make the handling acceptable to pilots and to meet FAA requirements, the aircraft was equipped with a longitudinal stability augmentation system (LSAS), a flight-control feature that supplements the pilot's pitch inputs.[10](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9307.pdf) The NTSB noted that the control column force needed to produce a given flight load was less for the MD-11 than for other transport-category airplanes, a characteristic relevant to several high-altitude upset events in the 1990s.[10](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9307.pdf)
After one such event, the NTSB recommended that Douglas provide data to upgrade MD-11 training simulators so they accurately represented the aircraft's longitudinal stability and control characteristics in high-altitude cruise, and develop guidance for recovering from high-altitude upsets.[11](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/pages/dca93ma037.aspx) Later, the FCC-908 Flight Control Computer software upgrade was implemented with the stated goal of matching MD-11 handling to the DC-10 and the MD-10, Boeing's two-pilot DC-10 adaptation, thereby facilitating FAA approval of a common type rating.[12](https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/RecLetters/A00_92_103.pdf) The MD-10 designation applies to DC-10s modified with the Boeing Advanced Common Flightdeck; the MD-10 and MD-11 share the MD-11 pilot type rating on type certificate A22WE.[3](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/1999-03-19-Boeing-Rolls-Out-First-MD-10-Freighter-For-FedEx) • [4](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FSBR_MD-11_Rev_3_Draft.pdf)
## From passenger service to freight
The MD-11 entered airline service in the early 1990s with passenger operators including [Finnair](https://www.edgepedia.org/finnair) and Delta, but its passenger career was comparatively short, and the fleet migrated to cargo roles. Boeing supported the transition with passenger-to-freighter conversions: in 2003 it converted five MD-11s for Lufthansa Cargo, work consisting primarily of removing passenger furnishings, installing a side cargo door, and adding a cargo-handling system.[13](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2003-11-04-Boeing-to-Convert-Five-MD-11s-to-Freighters-for-Lufthansa-Cargo) [Lufthansa Cargo](https://www.edgepedia.org/lufthansa-cargo) operated the type until 2021, when the last MD-11F registered in Europe, D-ALCC, was sold to an American cargo airline; the carrier cited its replacement, the [Boeing 777](https://www.edgepedia.org/boeing-777) freighter, as quieter, lower-emission, and able to load ten tonnes more cargo.[14](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/lufthansa-cargo-ag/pressreleases/the-last-md-11f-leaves-lufthansa-cargo-3137028)
By the 2020s the remaining fleet was entirely cargo-configured: 109 airliners averaging more than 30 years old, hauling freight for UPS, FedEx, and Western Global Airlines.[7](https://apnews.com/article/f4435d93283b51153596108ac7eba45a) The type remained commercially useful despite high fuel burn because of its long range and high cargo capacity; FedEx postponed its planned full retirement from 2028 to 2032 to keep widebody capacity for rising international non-parcel demand.[15](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-fedex-md-11-cargo-jets-return-to-service-others-are-retired)
## Safety record
Two accidents shaped the type's safety history before 2025. In 1998, [Swissair Flight 111](https://www.edgepedia.org/swissair-flight-111), an MD-11 registered HB-IWF, was lost to an in-flight fire. The [Transportation Safety Board of Canada](https://www.edgepedia.org/transportation-safety-board-of-canada) determined that the flammability of MPET-coated thermal acoustical insulation, as installed in many ceiling areas of the MD-11, allowed the fire to propagate rapidly where it was difficult to combat, and found that control of electrical power to the in-flight entertainment system was not compatible with the MD-11's design concept for crew response to a cockpit or cabin smoke or fumes emergency. The NTSB issued recommendations covering cockpit wiring inspections and cockpit voice and flight data recorder duration and power supply.[16](https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/HB-IWF) In 1993, China Eastern Airlines Flight 583, MD-11 B-2171, suffered inadvertent in-flight slat deployment, prompting the simulator and upset-recovery recommendations noted above.[11](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/pages/dca93ma037.aspx)
**The 2025 Louisville crash.** On November 4, 2025, UPS Flight 2976, an MD-11F registered N259UP, was destroyed shortly after takeoff from runway 17R at Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport when its left engine detached from the wing; the aircraft climbed only about 30 feet (9 meters) before crashing outside the airport. The three-person crew and 12 people on the ground were killed.[17](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/Preliminary%20Report%20DCA26MA024.pdf) • [8](https://apnews.com/article/9832be76e1a025ba2b89582778ee45db) The FAA grounded all MD-11s, and the 10 remaining DC-10s, stating that the condition "could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing." MD-11s made up about 9 percent of the UPS fleet and 4 percent of the FedEx fleet.[5](https://apnews.com/article/32f96f28019c286031befe6d05bb424f) • [7](https://apnews.com/article/f4435d93283b51153596108ac7eba45a)
The NTSB reported that in 2011 Boeing had documented four previous failures of the part securing the MD-11's engines to the wings on three different aircraft, but had then determined the issue would not result in a safety-of-flight condition; after the Louisville crash, similar flaws were found in three other UPS planes and a DC-10.[18](https://apnews.com/article/04cddebb98cb86dbcfc012bea5b1dd8f) • [19](https://apnews.com/article/3a06cd978ce623da3efeef86b11ef676) Boeing's remedy replaced a key spherical bearing and increased inspections of the engine-mounting parts; the FAA approved the fix after extensive review, and FedEx returned its MD-11s to service in May 2026.[18](https://apnews.com/article/04cddebb98cb86dbcfc012bea5b1dd8f)
## Fleet status
UPS announced in January 2026 that it had accelerated its plans and retired all MD-11s in its fleet, and said it would receive 18 new Boeing 767s over the following 15 months.[8](https://apnews.com/article/9832be76e1a025ba2b89582778ee45db) FedEx, which owns 46 MD-11s, returned its fleet to flight and postponed full retirement to 2032, while planning eventual replacement with more efficient models.[18](https://apnews.com/article/04cddebb98cb86dbcfc012bea5b1dd8f) • [15](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-fedex-md-11-cargo-jets-return-to-service-others-are-retired) Western Global Airlines, the only other United States MD-11 operator, reactivated two aircraft in 2026.[5](https://apnews.com/article/32f96f28019c286031befe6d05bb424f) • [15](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-fedex-md-11-cargo-jets-return-to-service-others-are-retired) The type's future depends on continued Boeing and FAA support of the A22WE type certificate and on the economics of operating three-engine freighters against modern twins.[15](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-fedex-md-11-cargo-jets-return-to-service-others-are-retired)
## References
1. [Factual Information, TSB Aviation Safety Report, Flight 111 (FAA copy)](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/2022-11/TSB_SR_Flt_111.pdf)
2. [MD11 History/Development, md-eleven.net](https://md-eleven.net/MD11-History-Developement)
3. [Boeing Rolls Out First MD-10 Freighter For FedEx, Boeing press release, March 19, 1999](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/1999-03-19-Boeing-Rolls-Out-First-MD-10-Freighter-For-FedEx)
4. [FAA Flight Standardization Board Report, MD-11, Revision 3](https://www.faa.gov/sites/faa.gov/files/FSBR_MD-11_Rev_3_Draft.pdf)
5. [FAA grounds MD-11 planes following deadly Kentucky crash, AP, November 8, 2025](https://apnews.com/article/32f96f28019c286031befe6d05bb424f)
6. [MD-11 Commercial Transport, Boeing historical products](https://www.boeing.com/content/dam/boeing/v2/company/history/pdf/Boeing_Products.pdf)
7. [Fiery UPS plane crash could spell the end for MD-11 fleet, AP, November 21, 2025](https://apnews.com/article/f4435d93283b51153596108ac7eba45a)
8. [UPS retires fleet of MD-11 aircraft involved in deadly Kentucky crash, AP, January 27, 2026](https://apnews.com/article/9832be76e1a025ba2b89582778ee45db)
9. [D'Esposito, M., "Comparison of DC-10 and MD-11 Designs," SAE 901806, 1990](https://saemobilus.sae.org/papers/comparison-dc-10-md-11-designs-901806)
10. [NTSB Aircraft Accident Report AAR-93/07 (MD-11 pitch handling)](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAR9307.pdf)
11. [NTSB investigation DCA93MA037, China Eastern Airlines Flight 583](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/pages/dca93ma037.aspx)
12. [NTSB Safety Recommendation A00-92-103, MD-11 pitch handling and FCC-908 upgrade](https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/RecLetters/A00_92_103.pdf)
13. [Boeing to Convert Five MD-11s to Freighters for Lufthansa Cargo, November 4, 2003](https://boeing.mediaroom.com/2003-11-04-Boeing-to-Convert-Five-MD-11s-to-Freighters-for-Lufthansa-Cargo)
14. [The last MD-11F leaves Lufthansa Cargo, Lufthansa Cargo press release](https://www.mynewsdesk.com/lufthansa-cargo-ag/pressreleases/the-last-md-11f-leaves-lufthansa-cargo-3137028)
15. [More FedEx MD-11 cargo jets return to service, others are retired, FreightWaves](https://www.freightwaves.com/news/more-fedex-md-11-cargo-jets-return-to-service-others-are-retired)
16. [McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (Swissair HB-IWF), FAA Lessons Learned](https://www.faa.gov/lessons_learned/transport_airplane/accidents/HB-IWF)
17. [NTSB Aviation Investigation Preliminary Report DCA26MA024, UPS Flight 2976](https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Documents/Preliminary%20Report%20DCA26MA024.pdf)
18. [The MD-11 cargo planes return to the air, AP, May 11, 2026](https://apnews.com/article/04cddebb98cb86dbcfc012bea5b1dd8f)
19. [Years before UPS plane crash, 10 similar flaws were recorded, AP](https://apnews.com/article/3a06cd978ce623da3efeef86b11ef676)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Aviation › Aircraft › Airliners and civil transport aircraft › Wide-body and large airliners › DC-10, MD-11, and L-1011 trijets*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 15, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license