McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines

McDonnell Douglas MD-11F illustration in UPS Airlines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas MD-11F

MD11-48744Active
RegistrationUSN251UP
Verified aircraft dataagainst the official civil aviation registerWhat does this badge mean?We checked that this aircraft’s registration, 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
OperatorUPS Airlines
3operators
2incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

McDonnell Douglas MD-11F built in 1995. Operates for UPS Airlines. Previously flew for VASP and UPS - United Parcel Service.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Old · 31 years · ≈ 99,200 flight hours (approx.)
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.

Recent flights

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Technical data

ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas
Engines3× GE CF6-80 SERIES
PropulsionJet
OwnerUnited Parcel Service Co
MSN48744
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

The model · McDonnell Douglas MD-11

Figures for the MD-11 variant, the most representative of the family · it is 59% the length of a football pitch

Length61.6 m202 ft
Wingspan52.0 m171 ft
Height17.6 m58 ft
Range12,455 km6,725 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed881 km/h476 ktMach 0.83
Service ceiling13,170 m43,209 ftIt flies above Everest (1.5 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight285,990 kg630,499 lb
Maximum payload157,181 kg346,524 lbIts 323 passengers with baggage would weigh about 32.3 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity323 passengersUp to 410 in a high-density layout
Endurance14 h 08 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

With its 12,455 km range, from São Paulo it could fly non-stop as far as:

The type first flew in 1990 (36 years ago) · About 200 units built · Production ended in 2000

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.

Airports

Airports of the airlines that have operated it

1995–2001VASP airline base
2001–2026UPS Airlines airline base

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

1995
Built
Assembled by McDonnell Douglas.
Nov 15, 1995
Delivered to VASP
Delivered to VASP as PP-SPK.
Apr 30, 2001
May 1, 2001
Transferred to UPS Airlines
Transferred to UPS Airlines.
Sep 11, 2001
Grounded after 9/11
On September 11, 2001, the MD-11F aircraft (registration N251UP), operated by UPS Airlines, was in the news. Source: the FAA (United States).
What happened
On 11 September 2001, after the attacks with hijacked aircraft on the Twin Towers in New York and the Pentagon, the FAA ordered — for the first time in history — the complete closure of United States airspace (the SCATANA plan): all civil aviation was told to land immediately, and by midday the American sky was clear. Around 240 international flights bound for the United States were diverted to Canada — Operation Yellow Ribbon, with more than 30,000 passengers. Airspace reopened gradually from 13 September, by then under new security measures. Source: the FAA (United States).
Source: FAA
Sep 25, 2015
Incident
On September 25, 2015, the aircraft (registration N251UP), operated by UPS Airlines, was involved in an incident. Source: UPS Airlines.
Source: UPS Airlines
Oct 24, 2024
Incident at Chicago
On October 24, 2024, the aircraft (registration N251UP), operated by UPS Airlines, was involved in an incident at Chicago. Source: UPS Airlines.
Source: UPS Airlines

Operators

1995-11-15
Registration PP-SPK
2001-04-30
Registration N251UP
2001-05-01
Registration N251UP · Lessor: UPS

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Current position of the aircraft

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This page was last updated on October 13, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 13). McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines. Retrieved October 16, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 13 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 13, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744 (Accessed: 16 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md11_48744,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-13},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-16},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-16}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD11-48744 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-11F · N251UP · UPS Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-13 |access-date=2026-10-16 |language=en}}