Many of the subsequent accidents have been down to poor maintenance on the part of the airline, or freak accidents that no one could account for. However, McDonnell Douglas was made aware of this issue and it was soon fixed.
This led to explosive decompression which led to the vast majority of these accidents. This mostly came down to a design flaw with the cargo door- more accurately, you could takeoff with it being unlocked. The DC-10 has been involved in 55 accidents, resulting in 1,261 fatalities, making it a fairly dangerous aircraft in the grand scheme of things.Īt the beginning of the DC-10’s service, it got a reputation for being an extremely dangerous aircraft. However, they aren’t considered to be one of the most dangerous either. Neither the DC-10 or the MD-11 are considered to be one of the safest aircraft on the planet. The most common MD-11 variant is the standard commercial MD-11 (also known as the MD-11 PAX). The most common DC-10 variant is the DC-10-10. Although several variants of each aircraft exist, the specifications will include those from the main variant of both aircraft.
DC-10 vs MD-11: Specsīoth the DC-10 and MD-11 are very similar in terms of their specifications. This re-engineered version was re-designated as the MD-10. The re-engineering mainly centered around the cockpit, installing new systems that eliminated the flight engineer role. As such, Boeing began to re-engineer existing DC-10s similarly to the MD-11. Many airlines wanted a replacement for the DC-10, but still liked the DC-10, but hated the fact it still had a flight engineer position.īoeing told them that they could buy the MD-11, however, these airlines wanted an aircraft with similar specs to the DC-10, not the MD-11. In 1997, Boeing and McDonnell Douglas merged, and kept the Boeing name. Photo courtesy of Tomás Del Coro via Flickr.īefore we can compare the DC-10 and the MD-11, we need to cover the MD-10, the MD-11 after the MD-11. Most of those post-merger MD-11s were freighters. Boeing continued to produce the MD-11 until 2000. When Boeing merged with McDonnell Douglas in 1997, Boeing took over production of the MD-11. December 1990 saw the introduction of the MD-11 with Finnair, the MD-11 soon became a favorite of other airlines, including KLM. January 1990, saw the first flight of the MD-11. Unlike the DC-10, McDonnell Douglas gave the MD-11 as much of the latest technology as they could, without completely redesigning the MD-11. However, McDonnell Douglas also re-engineered the cockpit, eliminating the need for a flight engineer that was needed in the DC-10. The MD-11 is mostly a lengthened and taller DC-10. As such, McDonnell Douglas began working on an extension and re-engineering of the DC-10. They wanted an aircraft that had the range of the 747, but the economics of the DC-10. MD-11Īfter McDonnell merged with Douglas to form McDonnell Douglas, and the introduction of the DC-10 many airlines wanted an airliner that was better than the DC-10. The KC-10 (and converted passenger airliner, the KDC-10) is used by the USAF, Dutch Air Force and Saudi Arabia. The DC-10 has also become a favorite of militaries, as a refueling tanker.
The DC-10 was later introduced a year later in August 1971 with American Airlines before being introduced by several other airlines. As such the DC-10 re-used much of the technology present in the DC-8.Īugust 1970, saw the first test flight of the DC-10. McDonnell Douglas insisted on getting the DC-10 to market as soon as possible. However, half way through the designing of the DC-10, Douglas Aircraft and McDonnell Aircraft merged to form McDonnell Douglas. Soon, many airlines, including American, were interested in the DC-10 and placed orders or options for it. This aircraft also had to be a replacement for the ageing DC-8s as well. In 1966, American Airlines approached several aircraft manufacturers for an aircraft that was smaller than the 747 but had a similar range. In 1965, Douglas Aircraft submitted their proposal to the USAF, however, Lockheed’s CX-X (later C-5 Galaxy) won out. Air Force’s CX-HLS (Heavy Logistics System). Just as with the 747, the DC-10 has its origins with the U.S. The DC-10 was the first challenger to the 747SP, much before the 747 was challenged by the 787 or A350 or the A380, or even L-1011! DC-10 vs MD-11: The Basicsīefore we can decide which aircraft is better between the DC-10 and MD-11, we first need to know a little bit of background. Since then, many airlines have been torn between the DC-10 and MD-11, but which is truly the better aircraft? The DC-10 was developed into the MD-11 by McDonnell Douglas (and later Boeing) as an alternative to the 747.