N291EA

This airframe, N291EA, is a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (DC-9-87) built in 1991 with manufacturer serial number 53039. The aircraft is operated for and owned by CORSAIR TWO LLC, an LLC based in Hillsboro, OR, US, and is registered in the US civil registry. The airframe has been modified from its original passenger configuration into a specialized aerial firefighting tanker role, with the original cabin layout removed and a retardant tank and dispersal system installed. No additional valuation or public registry actions are provided beyond the current ownership and role conversion.

This specific MD-87 is cabin-converted for aerial firefighting: the original passenger layout has been removed and replaced by a retardant tank and dispersal system tailored to tanker missions. Typical operations for this configuration emphasize low-altitude, short-duration sorties into fire zones, with the airframe staged from its operator’s base in Hillsboro, OR, US under ownership of CORSAIR TWO LLC. Avionics and mission systems specifics are not published in the supplied data, but the modification implies additional structural, plumbing, and avionics interfaces to support retardant delivery and tanker mission management. Maintenance considerations unique to this aircraft include the structural and systems changes associated with frequent low-altitude operations and the added wear from retardant carriage and dispersal cycles.

The McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (DC-9-87) occupies a niche as a shortened, medium-capacity derivative of the DC-9/MD-80 family, balancing modest range and cruise speed with a 172-seat original certification. In secondary markets it has been attractive for specialized conversions—including aerial firefighting—where airframe robustness and simplicity are valued over modern cabin amenities. Competing options for tanker conversion often include other older narrow-body types; buyers and operators should weigh availability of spare parts, JT8D-series engine support, and the resale considerations tied to role-specific modifications when evaluating lifecycle costs for a converted platform such as N291EA.