McDonnell Douglas MD-83

RkyFlight 🇺🇸

31 Mar 2026 · © SSGTRocky

A rare MD-80 series American aircraft I spotted while taxing years ago at DFW

4 likes 0 comments

Comments (0)

No comments yet.

More like this

Aircraft

MD-83 MD83

American Airlines classic polished metal livery

N961TW

Registration

Airline

American Airlines

AAL / AA

Manufacturer

McDonnell Douglas

Achievements

Retro Wings, Rare Bird, Vintage Voyager

3 badges earned

Location

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

DFW/KDFW

32.8968, -97.0380

Open map

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport DFW

Airport

Insights

Aviation History

A mainstay narrowbody for U.S. domestic routes in the 1990s and 2000s, the MD-80 series was the backbone of major carriers like American Airlines before being retired in the late 2010s.

Fleet Rarity

This model is rare in scheduled service; less than 100 MD-83s remain active worldwide, mainly in charter or secondary lease roles.

Record Flights

No notable extremely long or short record flights; commonly operated cross-country U.S. routes.

Safety & Events

Previous MD-80s involved in several non-fatal incidents; this particular aircraft (N961TW) was part of American’s final MD-80 revenue routes in 2019.

Future Outlook

Most have been retired; a few remain in charter operations or stored. American Airlines retired its entire MD-80 fleet in September 2019.

Specifications

Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219

Engine

32.9 meters

Wingspan

45.1 meters

Length

4,630 km

Range

811 km/h

Speed

155 passengers (typical 2-class configuration)

Capacity

72,575 kg

MTOW

9.0 meters

Height

2 x 21,000 lbf (93.4 kN)

Thrust

Stage III (ICAO Chapter 3); older jet, higher dB

Noise