Comment by ChrisMarshallNY
12 hours ago
I didn’t realize the MD-11 was still in use. It has had a difficult time in passenger aviation.
Looks really nasty. It seems to have come down in an industrial area, which will significantly reduce casualties. I can’t even imagine this, in a residential area.
I think it's fair to say the MD11 has had a difficult time, but I would caveat that it performs well for an aircraft of its vintage, and is still an acceptably safe aircraft. There have been something in the neighborhood of 2.4 million successful missions completed with the MD11, and around 12 hull losses with fatalities, around 14 hull losses total, over the 35 years the MD11 has been flying. Yes, it's below average compared to modern wide bodies (a330, a350, newer 777/787) which are incredibly (truly incredible to me) safe.
I do expect this incident will accelerate the retirement of the balance of the fleet that is still flying and the MD11 will complete its disappearance from the skies in the US before the end of the decade.
According to this article from just a few weeks ago there were 56 active MD11 (well, 55 now), split almost evenly by Fedex and UPS, and scheduled to be replaced within next 5-7 years:
https://simpleflying.com/why-mcdonnell-dougls-md-11-wont-be-...
Happened in the Netherlands: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Al_Flight_1862
40+ people died in that one, it's a miracle it wasn't more.
I had just seen and admired a UPS MD-11 making it's climbing turn after takeoff from ONT earlier that day. They are quite capable and a beautiful aircraft.