McDonnell Douglas MD-11F

ICAO type code: MD11 · McDonnell Douglas (Boeing) · three-engine widebody freighter

MD-11F at a glance

First flight

1990

Length

~202 ft (61.6 m)

Wingspan

169 ft 6 in (51.7 m)

Engines

3 × GE CF6-80C2 or Pratt & Whitney PW4460 turbofans

Seats

Freighter (285–410 as a passenger jet)

Cruise speed

~473 kt (544 mph) / Mach 0.82

Service ceiling

~42,000 ft

Range

~3,600–4,000 nmi (freighter)

How to recognize the MD-11F

The MD-11 is the only widebody you are likely to see with three engines, one of which is mounted high in the tail. That shape makes it easy to spot, even from cruising altitude.

• Tail engine: a third engine passes straight through the base of the vertical fin, with its intake above the rear fuselage and the exhaust out the back.
• Wing engines: two big turbofans under the wings.
• Winglets: distinctive small winglets that point both up and down from each wingtip.
• Fuselage: long, wide and round, with a pointed nose. Freighters have no windows behind the cockpit and a large cargo door on the left side.
• Tail: the horizontal stabilizer is small for the aircraft's size, contributing to fast landing speeds.
• Landing gear: two four-wheel bogies plus a two-wheel center gear under the belly.
• Contrail: three contrails at cruise; the middle one comes from the tail.

The older DC-10 looks nearly identical but is shorter and lacks winglets. Compared with a 767 or 777, the third engine in the tail is an instant giveaway.

At airports, the MD-11 looks long and sleek with a tall tail, and its three engines produce a distinctive roar on takeoff.

Where and when you'll see it

FedEx (callsign FDX) has been by far the largest MD-11 operator, flying them on long cargo legs between hubs like Memphis, Indianapolis, Oakland and Anchorage, and it has been retiring them progressively in favor of 777 and 767 freighters. UPS and Western Global also flew MD-11Fs. In November 2025 a UPS MD-11F crashed on takeoff at Louisville, and the FAA grounded the type for inspections, so whether and how often you see one now depends on the fleet's current status.

When flying, MD-11s typically cruise at FL300 to FL390 and arrive or depart late at night. On ADS-B the type code is MD11 with a heavy emitter category.

FedEx typically flies its MD-11s on long domestic and international cargo legs, often at night.

Easily confused with

• Boeing 767-300 / 767-300ER / 767-300F: The 767-300F has only two engines and no tail engine.
• Boeing 777-200 / 777-200ER: The 777 has two huge engines, six-wheel gear and no center tail engine.

Quick facts

• The MD-11 was developed from the DC-10, with a longer fuselage, winglets and a modern glass cockpit.
• KLM flew the last scheduled MD-11 passenger flight in 2014; since then the type has flown almost entirely as a freighter.
• Its small horizontal tail saves drag but gives the MD-11 one of the highest landing speeds of any airliner.

MD-11F questions

Spot one live

Open the live sky tool and look for MD11 in the type column, or browse the live map on airplanes.live.