The $1.8 Billion MD-11 Flop That Ended McDonnell Douglas

9 min 23 s · published October 31, 2026 · Watch on YouTube

In January 2026, UPS retired its entire MD-11 fleet for good. FedEx looked at the same airplane, with the same problem, and spent months fighting to put theirs back in the sky. That split runs through the whole life of the MD-11, the last of the big trijets: an airliner that missed its numbers, helped push McDonnell Douglas out of existence, and then became too useful to let go. This is the full story, with the documentary at the top.

Written and maintained by Jacob McEwen, M.S. Electrical Engineering·Last updated

Chapters

  1. 0:00 One airplane, two verdicts
  2. 0:43 Douglas, cornered
  3. 1:38 The engineering bet
  4. 2:22 The miss
  5. 3:28 The collapse
  6. 4:23 The merger
  7. 5:12 Second life
  8. 6:06 A demanding airplane
  9. 7:10 Louisville
  10. 8:07 Two endings

Read the full story

The written version, with photos and every source: The airliner that outlived its maker: the story of the MD-11

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