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McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 illustration in TWA Airlines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31

MD80-47491Unknown
RegistrationUSN985Z
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
OperatorTWA Airlines
3operators
0incidents
0accidents
0logbook years
0photos

McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 built in 1970. Has operated for Ozark Air Lines, TWA Trans World Airlines and TWA Airlines.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Old · 56 years · ≈ 145,600 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.

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Technical data

ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas
First flight1970
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
MSN47491
VerificationIdentity verified against the official register of FAA (United States) · Oct 8, 2026

The model · McDonnell Douglas MD-80

Figures for the MD-82 variant, the most representative of the family

Length45.1 m148 ft
Wingspan32.9 m108 ft
Height9.2 m30 ft
Range3,797 km2,050 NMWith a typical passenger load
Cruise speed807 km/h436 ktMach 0.76
Service ceiling11,280 m37,008 ftIt flies above Everest (1.3 times its height)
Maximum take-off weight67,812 kg149,500 lb
Maximum payload32,443 kg71,524 lbIts 155 passengers with baggage would weigh about 15.5 t; the rest is fuel and cargo
Typical capacity155 passengersUp to 172 in a high-density layout
Endurance4 h 42 minAt cruise speed, non-stop

The type first flew in 1979 (47 years ago) · About 1,191 units built · Production ended in 1999

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 McDonnell Douglas MD-80 Compare this aircraft

Flight logbook

Under research

Aircraft chronology

1970
Built
Assembled by the manufacturer.
Jun 10, 1970
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N985Z.
Jun 25, 1970
Transferred to Ozark Air Lines
Transferred to Ozark Air Lines.
Oct 1, 1986
Transferred to TWA Trans World Airlines
Transferred to TWA Trans World Airlines.
Apr 9, 2001
Transferred to TWA Airlines
Transferred to TWA Airlines.

Operators

1970-06-10
1970-06-25
Ozark Air Lines
Registration N985Z
1986-10-01
TWA Trans World Airlines
Registration N985Z
2001-04-09
TWA Airlines
Registration N985Z

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Cite

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This page was last updated on October 15, 2026

APA

Vuelopedia. (2026, October 15). McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines. Retrieved October 17, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 15 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491. Accessed 17 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 15, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491 (Accessed: 17 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_47491,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-15},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-17},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-17}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-47491 |title=McDonnell Douglas DC-9-31 · N985Z · TWA Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-15 |access-date=2026-10-17 |language=en}}