N986AK

This entry covers airframe N986AK, a McDonnell Douglas MD-87 (DC-9-87) built in 1989 with manufacturer's serial number 49412. The airframe is recorded in the United States registry and is owned by RISING SUN AVIATION LLC, an LLC based in Bonita Springs, FL, US, which serves as the operator/home base for the type in this record. The airframe carries a high-density passenger configuration and, as a single-airframe summary, its documented history reflects typical late-model MD-80 series service life and corporate ownership under a U.S.-based limited liability company. Listed in the U.S. registry under RISING SUN AVIATION LLC with registration N986AK.

The airframe is equipped with a high-density single-class cabin in a 172-seat passenger layout as listed in its configuration, intended for short- to medium-haul transport missions typical of the MD-87 variant. Operated from its owner's base in Bonita Springs, FL, US, the aircraft's role under RISING SUN AVIATION LLC is consistent with commercial or charter operations that favor dense seating capacities. Avionics and specific cabin amenities are not published in the supplied data; maintenance considerations for this individual airframe follow the MD-80 family norms, with attention to JT8D-series engine support and aging-airframe inspection regimes. Registration: US.

The airframe belongs to the McDonnell Douglas MD-87 family, a shortened-fuselage derivative of the DC-9/MD-80 line designed for denser passenger loads in domestic markets. In the wider market, the MD-87 competes historically with other narrow-body short-to-medium-haul jets of its era, occupying a niche where high-density seating and simplicity were prioritized over newer-generation fuel efficiencies. Buyer and charter demand for individual late-model MD-80 series airframes typically reflects considerations around available spares for the Pratt & Whitney JT8D-219 engines, structural fatigue life, and the operational economics of a 172-seat, single-class interior.