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Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia

Douglas DC-8-55F illustration in Garuda Indonesia livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-8-55F

DC8-45818Written off
RegistrationNLPH-MBH
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?Using its former registration (N802SW), we checked that this aircraft’s serial number and model match the official civil aviation register: FAA (United States), data as of Oct 8, 2026.That makes its identity more reliable. The verification expires after 12 months: if the register stops confirming it, the badge disappears.How we verify
OperatorGaruda Indonesia
7operators
0incidents
1accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas DC-8-55F. Operated for Seaboard World, Flying Tigers and Garuda Indonesia.

Vuelopedia is a work in progress: it currently holds about 30% of the information we expect to have by the third quarter of 2027. Although we use only official, highly reliable sources, some aircraft data and history may still contain errors or inaccuracies. We work hard to clear every anomaly from the records using specialized verification tools.

Technical data

Country of registrationPaíses Bajos
MSN45818
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N802SW · Oct 8, 2026

The model · Douglas DC-8

Figures for the DC-8-63 variant, the most representative of the family · it is 54% the length of a football pitch

Length57.1 m187 ft
Wingspan45.2 m148 ft
Height12.9 m42 ft
Range7,408 km4,000 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed895 km/h483 ktMach 0.84
Service ceiling12,800 m41,995 ftIt flies above Everest (1.4 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight161,025 kg354,999 lb
Maximum payload89,022 kg196,260 lbIts 259 passengers with baggage would weigh about 25.9 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity259 passengers
Endurance8 h 17 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

The type first flew in 1958 (68 years ago) · About 556 units built · Production ended in 1972

Figures for the type, not for this particular aircraft: each variant and each configuration changes something. They are shown in both systems used in aviation.

The full story of the Douglas DC-8 Compare this aircraft

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Nov 1, 1965
Delivered to Seaboard World
Delivered to Seaboard World as N802SW.
Nov 13, 1965
Transferred to Flying Tigers
Transferred to Flying Tigers.
Oct 1, 1969
Transferred to International Air Bahama
Transferred to International Air Bahama.
May 1, 1970
Transferred to Trans Mediterranean Airlines
Transferred to Trans Mediterranean Airlines.
Oct 1, 1971
Transferred to Loftleidir Icelandic
Transferred to Loftleidir Icelandic.
Sep 21, 1973
Transferred to Martinair
Transferred to Martinair.
Dec 4, 1974
Transferred to Garuda Indonesia
Transferred to Garuda Indonesia.
Dec 4, 1974
Accident near Maskeliya
On December 4, 1974, the Douglas DC-8-55F aircraft (registration PH-MBH), operated by Martinair, was involved in a fatal accident near Maskeliya (Sri Lanka), leaving 191 dead. Source: Martinair.
What happened
The DC-8 was carrying 182 Indonesian pilgrims towards Mecca with a stop in Colombo. On approach, at night and in rain, it descended below safe altitude and struck a mountain 74 kilometres from the airport. All 191 people on board died. It was then the worst single-aircraft accident ever, and the first of a long list of flights into terrain that would end in the ground-proximity warning.
Source: Martinair

Operators

1965-11-01
Seaboard World
Registration N802SW
1965-11-13
Flying Tigers
Registration N802SW
1969-10-01
International Air Bahama
Registration N802SW
1970-05-01
Trans Mediterranean Airlines
Registration N802SW
1971-10-01
Loftleidir Icelandic
Registration TF-LLK
1973-09-21
Martinair
Registration PH-MBH
1974-12-04
Garuda Indonesia
Registration PH-MBH

In memoriam

This aircraft was involved in an accident with fatalities. Out of respect for those who lost their lives and for their families, this record does not enable the register of memories.

Cite

To cite this page in academic work, an article or Wikipedia, choose the style and copy the reference. The access date is today.

This page was last updated on October 16, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 16). Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia. Retrieved October 25, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818

MLA

“Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 16 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818. Accessed 25 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 16, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818 (Accessed: 25 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc8_45818,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-16},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-25},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-25}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45818 |title=Douglas DC-8-55F · PH-MBH · Garuda Indonesia |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-16 |access-date=2026-10-25 |language=en}}