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Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair

Douglas DC-8-61 illustration in Nationair livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-8-61

DC8-45982Written off
RegistrationCAC-GMXQ
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?Using its former registration (N4582N), 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
OperatorNationair
5operators
0incidents
1accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas DC-8-61. Operated for Eastern Air Lines, Japan Airlines and Air Algérie.

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 registrationCanadá
MSN45982
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N4582N · 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

Mar 29, 1968
Delivered to Eastern Air Lines
Delivered to Eastern Air Lines as N8769.
Mar 19, 1970
Transferred to Japan Airlines
Transferred to Japan Airlines.
Sep 28, 1972
Re-registered
Changed from N8769 to JA8057 (still with Japan Airlines).
Jan 14, 1984
Transferred to Capitol Air
Transferred to Capitol Air.
Dec 4, 1984
Transferred to Nationair
Transferred to Nationair.
Jul 11, 1991
Accident at Jeddah
On July 11, 1991, the Douglas DC-8-61 aircraft (registration C-GMXQ), operated by Nationair, was involved in a fatal accident at Jeddah (Saudi Arabia), leaving 261 dead. Source: Nationair.
What happened
The Canadian DC-8 chartered to fly pilgrims home to Nigeria took off from Jeddah with two under-inflated tyres that heated until they caught fire during the roll. The fire climbed through the wheel well into the cabin as the crew tried to return; the aircraft broke up short of the runway. All 261 people on board died. It is the worst accident involving a DC-8 and the worst suffered by a Canadian airline.
Source: Nationair

Operators

1968-03-29
Eastern Air Lines
Registration N8769
1970-03-19
Japan Airlines
Registration N8769 · Lessor: Eastern Air Lines
1972-09-28
Japan Airlines
Registration JA8057
1984-01-14
Capitol Air
Registration N4582N
1984-12-04
Nationair
Registration C-GMXQ
—
Air Algérie
Registration C-GMXQ · Lessor: Icelandair

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

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This page was last updated on October 16, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 16). Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982

MLA

“Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 16 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 16, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc8_45982,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-16},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-18},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-45982 |title=Douglas DC-8-61 · C-GMXQ · Nationair |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-16 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}