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McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines

McDonnell Douglas MD-82 illustration in Northwest Airlines livery Illustrative image; it may differ from the actual aircraft.

McDonnell Douglas MD-82

MD80-48090Written off
RegistrationUSN312RC
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
OperatorNorthwest Airlines
2operators
0incidents
1accidents
0logbook years
0photos

McDonnell Douglas MD-82 built in 1981. Operated for Republic Airlines and Northwest Airlines.

NewNearly newYoungMatureAgingOld
Nearly new · 6 years · ≈ 15,600 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.

Technical data

ManufacturerMcDonnell Douglas
First flight1981
Country of registrationEstados Unidos
MSN48090
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

1981
Built
Assembled by the manufacturer.
Oct 15, 1981
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation
Delivered to McDonnell Douglas Corporation as N1004F.
Dec 8, 1982
Transferred to Republic Airlines
Transferred to Republic Airlines.
Oct 1, 1986
Transferred to Northwest Airlines
Transferred to Northwest Airlines.
Aug 16, 1987
Accident at Romulus, by Detroit Airport
On August 16, 1987, the McDonnell Douglas MD-82 aircraft (registration N312RC), operated by Northwest Airlines, was involved in a fatal accident at Romulus, by Detroit Airport (United States), leaving 154 dead on board and 2 on the ground. Source: Northwest Airlines.
What happened
The MD-82 took off from Detroit with no flaps or slats because the crew skipped the checklist and the system meant to warn them had no power. It clipped a light pole, fell onto a road and broke up under an overpass. 154 people on board and two in cars died; a four-year-old girl survived. A year later, in Dallas, another aircraft would crash for the same reason.
Source: Northwest Airlines

Operators

1981-10-15
1982-12-08
Republic Airlines
Registration N312RC
1986-10-01
Northwest Airlines
Registration N312RC

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). McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines. Retrieved October 18, 2026, from https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090

MLA

“McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines.” Vuelopedia, Fundación Poderia, 16 Oct. 2026, vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Chicago

Vuelopedia. “McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines.” Fundación Poderia. Last modified October 16, 2026. https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090.

Harvard

Vuelopedia (2026) McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines. Available at: https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090 (Accessed: 18 October 2026).

BibTeX

@misc{vuelopedia_en_aircraft_md80_48090,
  author       = {{Vuelopedia}},
  title        = {{McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines}},
  publisher    = {Fundación Poderia},
  year         = {2026},
  date         = {2026-10-16},
  url          = {https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090},
  howpublished = {\url{https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090}},
  urldate      = {2026-10-18},
  note         = {Accessed 2026-10-18}
}

Wikipedia

{{cite web |url=https://vuelopedia.org/en/aircraft/MD80-48090 |title=McDonnell Douglas MD-82 · N312RC · Northwest Airlines |website=Vuelopedia |publisher=Fundación Poderia |date=2026-10-16 |access-date=2026-10-18 |language=en}}