McDonnell Douglas DC-9-20

Mid size passenger jet of the DC-9 family. Only 10 were built for a single customer, SAS.

Overview

McDonnell Douglas United States ICAO: DC92 1965–1982

The McDonnell Douglas DC-9-20 was developed to meet the demand for enhanced short field capability by the use of more efficient engines and enhanced wings of the Series 30, in combination of the shorted fuselage from Series 10. It can fly up to 1,000 nautical miles carrying a maximum payload of 11,501 kg.

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Specifications

Units
Engine
2 × JT8D-11
Engine type
Turbofan
Thrust
2 × 15,000 lbf · 67 kN
Avionics
—
Wing tips
No winglets
Seats
90
Crew
—
Cabin width
10 ft 3 in  ·  3.12 m
Cabin height
6 ft 9 in  ·  2.05 m
Cabin length
60 ft 0 in  ·  18.29 m
Exterior length
104 ft 5 in  ·  31.82 m
Tail height
27 ft 7 in  ·  8.40 m
Fuselage diameter
11 ft 0 in  ·  3.35 m
Wing span
93 ft 4 in  ·  28.44 m
Baggage volume
600 ft³  ·  17.0 m³
Gross weight
—
Empty weight
—
Max takeoff weight
100,000 lb  ·  45,400 kg
Max landing weight
95,500 lb  ·  43,200 kg
Max payload
25,400 lb  ·  11,500 kg
Fuel capacity
3,700 gal · 13,900 L · 11,100 kg (Jet A)
Max cruise speed
485 kt  ·  558 mph  ·  898 km/h
Maximum speed
—
Cruise speed
—
Approach speed
127 kt  ·  146 mph  ·  235 km/h
Range
1,500 nm  ·  1,730 mi  ·  2,780 km
Fuel burn
—
Ceiling
35,000 ft  ·  10,700 m
Rate of climb
2,500 ft/min  ·  13 m/s
Takeoff distance
5,250 ft  ·  1,600 m
Landing distance
4,900 ft  ·  1,500 m
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Douglas DC-9-21

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Operational Context

DC-9-20 Production and Development

The DC-9-20 was developed in order to meet the demand of Scandinavian Airlines for an enhanced short-field variant of aircraft.

On September 18 1968, the Series 20 took its maiden flight. After two months, on November 25, the aircraft was awarded the Federal Aviation Administration type certification. On December 11 1968, the first aircraft was delivered to Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS).

On January 27 1969, it entered into service with Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS). Then on May 1 1969, the last delivery of the aircraft to SAS took place.

Also in 1969, a Head Up Display (HUD) supplied by Elliot Flight Automation was installed in a DC-9-20 at Long Beach and has been utilized for a three-month-trial period with pilots from several airlines, the FAA, and the United States Air Force.

There were 10 DC-9 Series 20 manufactured.

DC-9-20 Design

The DC-9-20 has an external length of 31.82 meters, an exterior height of 4.7 meters and a tail height of 8.4 meters. It has a fuselage length and diameter of 28.07 meters and 3.35 meters respectively. Its wheelbase is 13.32 meters.

The aircraft was intended to operate on short to medium routes, generally to small airports with short runways. There is also an attached air-stair for easy boarding and deplaning,

The DC-9—20 has a wingspan of 28.44 meters. Since the engines were mounted on the tail, it showed a smooth wing without engine pods that led to various benefits like longer flaps unhindered by engine pods on the leading edge, improvement in airflow during low speed and enabling a lower take off and approach speed.

The features a cabin with a length of 18.29 meters, width of 3.12 meters and height of 2.05 meters.

DC-9-20 Engine and Performance

The DC-9 Series 20 is powered by two JT8D-11 turbofan engines supplied by Pratt and Whitney. Each engine has a maximum thrust of 15,000 lbf.

The aircraft was initially certified with a maximum take off weight of 42,900 kg then later increased to 44,000 kg, which is eight percent extra compared to the previous series. It has a maximum landing weight of 43,200 kg and has a maximum zero fuel weight of 38,000 kg.

Particular range with maximum payload is 1,000 nautical miles, rising to 1,450 nautical miles if the aircraft will fly with its maximum fuel. It has a fuel tank capacity of 3,679 US Gal.

DC-9-20 Notable Incident

On January 30 1973, a Scandinavian Airlines flight 370 named as Reidar overran the runway of Oslo Fornebu Airport. The take off run was normal and the aircraft turned around at 125 knots. Suddenly the speed of the aircraft increased to 140 knots, that’s when the captain rejected take off, but it was not enough to stop the aircraft from moving. The thrust reverser did not deploy entirely that resulted to aircraft overrunning the runway. There were no recorded fatalities in the incident.