Douglas DC-8
6 on the U.S. register across 4 versions the FAA records separately. Built from 1968. Arizona has the most (5). 100% are registered to companies, flight schools, clubs and other organisations; the rest to individuals, who are not named here at this time.
About the DC-8 from the FAA's model table
- Type
- Fixed-wing, multi-engine · Airliners and large jets
- Power
- Turbojet, 4 engines
- Common engines
- Cfm Intl. Cfm56 Series (4), P & W Jt3D-3&3B (1)
- Seats
- 152
- Built of
- aluminium
- Maker on the register
- Douglas
- Registered
- earliest certificate February 18, 2023; newest February 4, 2026
Who owns them registrant type
By owner type, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Corporation | 6 | 100% |
Versions as the FAA records them · click one to list only those aircraft
Airworthiness certificate class
By airworthiness certificate, as a table
| aircraft | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 5 | 83% |
| None on file | 1 | 17% |
Biggest operators companies, schools and clubs
Largest fleets, as a table
| aircraft | |
|---|---|
| Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC | 4 |
| Liberty University INC | 1 |
| Bjw Services INC | 1 |
Fleet pages: Liberty University INC
Accident history NTSB records · 2 cases since 1982, 0 fatal
The 2 most recent of 2 cases where the NTSB's make and model match this family's versions. Each aircraft's own page also shows its record. How this model compares with others, with the fleet taken into account: Accidents by model in Aviation Analytics.
Questions people ask answers refresh every morning
How many Douglas DC-8 aircraft are registered in the U.S.?
6 as of October 23, 2026, counting 4 versions the FAA records separately.
Which state has the most Douglas DC-8s?
Arizona, with 5.
Who owns the Douglas DC-8?
100% are registered to companies, flight schools, clubs and other organisations; the rest to individuals and co-owners, who are not named on this site at this time.
When were the Douglas DC-8s on the register built?
In 1968.
How many Douglas DC-8 accidents has the NTSB recorded?
2 accidents and incidents since 1982, 0 of them fatal. A model flown more shows more; the accident analytics compare models per thousand registered.
What is the Douglas DC-8 made of?
The airframe is aluminium: sheet metal over a riveted frame, the way most aircraft have been built since the 1940s. The FAA's type certificate data sheet is the authority for any one model.
What the FAA has certified, ordered and been told about the Douglas DC-8 the component layer
The airframe is aluminium: sheet metal over a riveted frame, the way most aircraft have been built since the 1940s. The design is held under 1 type certificate (4A25, held by The Boeing Company). The FAA has issued 162 airworthiness directives (orders that owners must comply with) that name this model, most of them about airframe structure. Operators and repair shops have filed 17,000 failure reports with the FAA since 1995, 38 of them in the last ten years: about 211.1 a year for every 100 aircraft on the register; the system most often named is airframe structure. 458 approved modifications exist for it, the most by Abx Air Incorporated.
FAA orders 162 airworthiness directives · newest first
All orders naming the Douglas DC-8
By system
Orders by system, as a table
| orders | share | |
|---|---|---|
| Airframe structure | 35 | 22% |
| Other and general | 30 | 19% |
| Engine | 24 | 15% |
| Flight controls | 21 | 13% |
| Cabin, seats and restraints | 19 | 12% |
| Instruments and avionics | 11 | 7% |
| Landing gear | 9 | 6% |
| Emergency equipment | 4 | 2% |
Failure reports 17,000 since 1995 · what operators and shops told the FAA
Failure reports by year, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| 95 | 619 |
| 96 | 646 |
| 97 | 1,643 |
| 98 | 1,268 |
| 99 | 1,885 |
| 00 | 2,284 |
| 01 | 1,672 |
| 02 | 641 |
| 03 | 1,447 |
| 04 | 802 |
| 05 | 1,172 |
| 06 | 779 |
| 07 | 832 |
| 08 | 658 |
| 09 | 270 |
| 10 | 231 |
| 11 | 113 |
| 12 | 12 |
| 15 | 20 |
| 21 | 6 |
By system
Failure reports by system, as a table
Parts most often reported as the reports name them
Parts most reported, as a table
| reports | |
|---|---|
| Skin | 2,739 |
| Fitting | 2,351 |
| Frame | 1,119 |
| Rib | 1,067 |
| Seat Track | 836 |
| Longeron | 650 |
| Angle | 577 |
| Doubler | 539 |
| Floorbeam | 351 |
| Panel | 296 |
Latest reports
Approved replacement parts 4,838 parts manufacturer approvals
Parts a company other than the maker may make for this design and sell as FAA-approved. The companies holding the most:
Most often: light panel (425), placard (374), light plates (329), ring (158), insulation blanket (114), net (113), ashtray (104), bearing (76), slip on (72), panel (71).
Approved modifications 458 supplemental type certificates
Changes the FAA has approved for this design, from new avionics and engines to floats and parachutes. The companies holding the most:
Latest
Certificates and bulletins
Safety bulletins 4 · advice, not orders
Sources: the FAA's type certificate data sheets, airworthiness directives, supplemental type certificates, special conditions and special airworthiness information bulletins (Dynamic Regulatory System), and the FAA's service difficulty reports. A failure report is what an operator or repair station chose to file; the counts show reporting as much as reliability, and larger and commercial fleets report more. How the systems are grouped.
Connections how the DC-8 links to the rest of the register
- Douglas 305 aircraft on the register
- Douglas DC-8-73 2 registered
- Douglas DC-8-73F 2 registered
- Douglas DC-8-72 1 registered
- Douglas DC-8-72CF 1 registered
- Type certificate 4A25 · held by The Boeing Company
- Built of aluminium
- CFM International CFM56 series 4 of these aircraft · 2200 hp
- Pratt & Whitney JT3D-3&3B 1 of these aircraft
- Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC 4 of these aircraft
- Liberty University INC 1 of these aircraft
- Bjw Services INC 1 of these aircraft
- NTSB accidents and incidents involving the DC-8 2 cases since 1982 · 0 fatal
- FAA orders naming the DC-8 162 airworthiness directives
- Failure reports filed on the DC-8 17,000 reports since 1995
- Approved modifications for the DC-8 458 supplemental type certificates
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/model/douglas/dc-8.json.
Aircraft newest certificates first · 6
| Tail no. | Maker and model | Owner and base | Certificate | Registered | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N782SP | Douglas DC-8-72CF |
Liberty University INC Lynchburg, Virginia |
Standard | 2026-02-04 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N804DH | Douglas DC-8-73F |
Bjw Services INC Kingman, Arizona |
Standard | 2025-07-29 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N802DH | Douglas DC-8-73 |
Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC Kingman, Arizona |
Standard | 2023-09-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N803DH | Douglas DC-8-73 |
Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC Kingman, Arizona |
Standard | 2023-09-20 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N155CA | Douglas DC-8-73F |
Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC Kingman, Arizona |
Standard | 2023-02-18 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |
| N872SJ | Douglas DC-8-72 |
Heavylift Cargo Airlines INC Kingman, Arizona |
None on file | 2023-02-18 | ValidFAA registration status code V: Valid registration. All codes |