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The McDonnell Douglas MD-83 is the long-range member of the MD-80 series, a twin-engine narrow-body airliner descended from the DC-9 and built by McDonnell Douglas from the mid-1980s. With extra fuel capacity and more powerful Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engines, it was aimed at carriers needing greater range from the familiar five-abreast DC-9 airframe, and it remains a type of interest to sim pilots for its classic T-tail, rear-engine handling and its role in one of aviation's most studied accident investigations.
The MD-83 is a twin-engine, T-tailed, narrow-body jet airliner in the McDonnell Douglas MD-80 series, itself the second generation of the DC-9 family. Seating around 155 passengers in a typical two-class layout and up to 172 in a single class, it was built by McDonnell Douglas and, after 1997, by Boeing Commercial Airplanes, and served as the extended-range variant within the MD-81/82/83/88 line of stretched DC-9 derivatives.
The MD-80 programme grew out of McDonnell Douglas's efforts in the 1970s to stretch and re-engine the DC-9-50, exploring higher-bypass versions of the Pratt & Whitney JT8D under studies known as Series 55, Series 50 and Series 60. The improved design was launched in October 1977 as the Series 80, with Swissair as launch customer ordering 15 aircraft plus five options. The first Series 80 airframe flew on October 18, 1979, and the type was certified on August 25, 1980, entering service with Swissair on October 10, 1980. Within this family the MD-83 was announced on January 31, 1983. Its prototype made its first flight on December 17, 1984, and the type received FAA certification on October 17, 1985, initially at a maximum take-off weight of 67,800 kilograms, with a further certification at 73,000 kilograms following on November 4, 1985. The MD-83 entered service in February 1985 with Alaska Airlines, whose first four aircraft on order were MD-83s despite the airline's initial order having been for the MD-82. Production of the MD-83, alongside the rest of the MD-80 series, continued until the final delivery to Trans World Airlines (TWA) on December 28, 1999. Across the whole MD-80 series 1,191 aircraft were built between 1979 and 1999, with McDonnell Douglas initially using the DC-9-80 and Super 80 designations before the MD-80 name was formally adopted for marketing in July 1983, even though the underlying FAA type certificate retained the DC-9 prefix.
The MD-83 retains the DC-9's fuselage cross-section but is stretched and fitted with a wing some 28 percent larger than that of the DC-9-50, giving an external length of 147 ft 8 in (45.02 m), a wingspan of 107 ft 9 in (32.85 m), a tail height of 30 ft 2 in (9.20 m) and a fuselage diameter of 11 ft 0 in (3.35 m). The cabin measures 101 ft 0 in (30.78 m) long, 10 ft 2 in (3.11 m) wide and 6 ft 9 in (2.05 m) high, with baggage volume of 1,014 cubic feet (28.7 cubic metres). It is powered by two rear fuselage-mounted Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 turbofans, each rated at 21,000 lbf (93 kN) of thrust, giving it more power than the earlier MD-81 and MD-82. To handle the increased operating weights the aircraft was fitted with strengthened landing gear with new tyres, brakes and wheels, and a wheelbase of 22.05 metres. Structural changes over the earlier variants included modified wing skins, a reinforced front spar web and elevator spar cap, strengthened floor beams supporting seats, galleys and lavatories, and reinforced panels for the auxiliary fuel tanks. Fuel capacity was increased to around 7,000 US gallons (26,400 litres), including two 565 US gallon auxiliary tanks positioned fore and aft of the wing centre section. Maximum take-off weight is quoted at 175,500 lb (79,500 kg), maximum landing weight at 139,500 lb (63,500 kg), and maximum payload at 42,300 lb (19,200 kg).
With a typical passenger load of around 155, the MD-83 has a range of up to 2,550 nautical miles (4,720 km; 2,930 mi). Maximum cruise speed is given as 472 knots (543 mph; 874 km/h), with an approach speed of 144 knots (166 mph; 267 km/h). Service ceiling is 37,000 feet (11,300 m), and rate of climb is 2,500 feet per minute (13 m/s). Take-off distance is around 6,750 feet (2,050 m) and landing distance about 5,200 feet (1,590 m). The type's longitudinal trim is controlled by a horizontal stabiliser jackscrew and gimbal nut system, with primary and alternate motors driving the jackscrew assembly to allow either manual pilot trim or autopilot pitch control, a system that became the subject of intense scrutiny following the loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 261.
The MD-83 sits within the wider MD-80 family alongside the MD-81, MD-82, MD-87 and MD-88, all developed from the stretched DC-9-80 airframe. The MD-81, MD-82, MD-83 and MD-88 share a common 148 ft (45.1 m) length and 155-passenger coach seating, while the shorter MD-87 is some 17 ft (5.3 m) less in length, seats around 130 passengers and offers a longer range of up to 2,900 nautical miles (5,400 km; 3,300 mi). The MD-83 itself is distinguished from the MD-81 and MD-82 by its more powerful JT8D-219 engines, higher operating weights and additional fuel capacity for extended range. The later MD-88 introduced a modernised cockpit with electronic flight instrument system (EFIS) displays. The MD-80 series was itself succeeded by the further-stretched, IAE V2500-powered MD-90, and by the shorter MD-95, which was ultimately produced as the Boeing 717.
Alaska Airlines was the first operator of the MD-83, receiving its initial aircraft in February 1985 and putting the type into service that same month; the airline's first four aircraft on order were MD-83s. The type went on to be used widely by airlines for short- and medium-haul passenger operations, with final delivery of an MD-83 made to Trans World Airlines (TWA) on December 28, 1999. As of the mid-2020s a number of MD-83s remain in limited service with smaller and charter-oriented operators. The type's service history includes two notable accidents: the loss of Alaska Airlines Flight 261 on January 31, 2000, when the horizontal stabiliser trim system failed and the aircraft crashed into the Pacific Ocean with the loss of all 88 people on board, an accident later attributed to inadequate lubrication and end-play inspection intervals on the jackscrew trim system and the absence of a fail-safe mechanism to prevent total Acme nut thread loss; and the crash of Atlasjet Flight 4203 in Turkey on November 30, 2007, attributed to pilot spatial disorientation, in which 64 people were killed.
For a sim pilot, the MD-83 offers the classic DC-9-derived flying experience: a T-tailed, rear-engine narrow-body with a long fuselage, a wing enlarged over the original DC-9 design, and JT8D-219 turbofans that give a distinctive low-bypass engine note and thrust response compared with later high-bypass types. Its extended range and increased fuel capacity over the MD-81 and MD-82 make it well suited to longer medium-haul sectors, while its trim and control layout, and its place in the well-documented Alaska Airlines Flight 261 investigation, give it particular relevance for pilots interested in the type's horizontal stabiliser and jackscrew trim system and the operational lessons drawn from that accident.
