From the AP
The MD-80 series, a workhorse family of airplanes at the center of a growing maintenance problem for American Airlines, has been involved in two deadly crashes overseas and the carrier’s most serious mid-air emergency in recent months.
The twin-engine plane began life as a modified version of the DC-9, entering service in October 1980. Boeing Corp., which later bought the aircraft’s original manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas Corp., quit selling the plane in 1999.
AMR Corp.’s American Airlines is the world’s largest operator of MD-80s, although the planes are also used by Delta Air Lines Inc., Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air and numerous carriers abroad. Despite their relative age and lower fuel milage, the planes make up nearly a third of American’s fleet.
“It’s a ubiquitous single-aisle domestic airliner,” said Robert Mann, an airline consultant who was involved in American’s fleet planning when it first decided to use the plane. “Over time, it’s obviously been an airplane American liked.”
