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Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air

Douglas DC-8-62F illustration in Johnsons Air livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

Douglas DC-8-62F

DC8-46085Scrapped
RegistrationGH9G-PEL
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?Using its former registration (N803CK), 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
OperatorJohnsons Air
7operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

Douglas DC-8-62F. Operated for United Airlines, Rich International Airways and Johnsons Air. Scrapped.

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 registrationGhana
MSN46085
Hex / ICAO 24-bit04401D
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) under its former registration N803CK · 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

With its 7,408 km range, from Baku it could fly non-stop as far as:

SINSingapore6,941 kmICNSeoul6,397 kmPVGShanghai (Pudong)6,377 kmHKGHong Kong6,248 kmLOSLagos5,969 km
Beyond its rangeNRTNarita7,553 km

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

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

since 2003Silk Way Airlines airline base
Base
GYDBaku

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

Sep 4, 1969
Delivered to United Airlines
Delivered to United Airlines as N8973U.
Sep 1, 1982
Transferred to Rich International Airways
Transferred to Rich International Airways.
Jul 1, 1983
Transferred to International Air Leases
Transferred to International Air Leases.
Jan 1, 1984
Transferred to Northeastern International Airways
Transferred to Northeastern International Airways.
May 18, 2000
Transferred to American International Airways
Transferred to American International Airways.
Mar 1, 2003
Transferred to Silk Way Airlines
Transferred to Silk Way Airlines.
Nov 1, 2003
Transferred to Johnsons Air
Transferred to Johnsons Air.

Operators

1969-09-04
United Airlines
Registration N8973U
1982-09-01
Rich International Airways
Registration N8973U · Lessor: IAL
1983-07-01
International Air Leases
Registration N8973U
1984-01-01
Northeastern International Airways
Registration N8973U · Lessor: IAL
—
Hawaiian Airlines
Registration N8973U
2000-05-18
2003-03-01
Silk Way Airlines
Registration 4K-AZ29
2003-11-01
Johnsons Air
Registration 9G-PEL

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Cite

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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085

MLA

“Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_dc8_46085,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-18},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/DC8-46085 |title=Douglas DC-8-62F · 9G-PEL · Johnsons Air |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}