FedEx Express Flight 87
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_(2831528005).jpg) An MD-11 identical to the one involved in the crash. | |
| Accident | |
|---|---|
| Date | 17 October 1999 |
| Summary | Runway excursion following improper crew response to faulty airspeed indications |
| Site | Subic Bay International Airport |
| Aircraft | |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-11F |
| Aircraft name | Joshua |
| Operator | FedEx Express |
| Registration | N581FE |
| Flight origin | Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport |
| Destination | Subic Bay International Airport |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Survivors | 2 |
On 17 October 1999, FedEx Express Flight 087[1] was a flight from Shanghai-Hongquiao International Airport to Subic Bay International Airport, which overshot the runway at Subic Bay on landing. Aboard the jet were 2 crew members who survived the crash.
Aircraft[edit]
The aircraft was a 9-year old McDonnell Douglas MD-11, initially delivered to American Airlines as a passenger aircraft on 28 May 1991.[2][1] FedEx Express leased the aircraft on 2 June 1997, converting it into a freighter, and was reregistered as N581FE. As part of FedEx's participation in the Civil Reserve Air Fleet, this particular aircraft was selected as a reserve aircraft. It was powered by three General Electric CF6-80C2 engines.
From April to July 1999, numerous airspeed indication anomalies were logged on N581FE. These consisted of mostly mismatches of the indicated airspeed between the captain and first officer's displays. A Technical Service Item was opened in late April 1999, and was closed on 7 May 1999.
However, the following day, more airspeed mismatches and autopilot failures were reported. The TSI was reopened on 9 May, and the Air Data Computer was removed and reinstalled. By 29 May, the aircraft had flown "18 good legs," and the TSI was closed once again.
In June 1999, the problems with indicated airspeed reoccurred on the 2nd, 26th and 29th. A fault was detected in the FCC-1 and was replaced, and both air data computers were satisfactory. The final maintenance action was conducted on the 29th, and an angle of attack sensor was replaced, and the first officer's pitot system was purged.
Since that day on until the crash, there were no discrepancies reported regarding the indicated airspeed.
Accident[edit]
At 21:16 local time, Flight 087 departed Hongqiao Airport in Shanghai. It was carrying a load of mostly electronic goods and garments.[3][4] Takeoff and climb was mostly uneventful.
While in cruise at 15:24 UTC, an airspeed indication warning was noted by the Captain. There were intermittent autopilot disengagements towards the later part of the flight. A few minutes later, at 15:31 UTC, the crew received clearance by Manila Control to descend to flight level 130 when ready. The warning was still present during the descent, and the autopilot disengaged at 15:32.
During the troubleshooting, the First Officer noted that this discrepancy was logged by previous crews. In the log, it was noted that these crews selected elevator feel to the manual position, and the flap limit was overridden.
At 15:40, the flight was identified by Subic Approach as 40 miles north of the Subic VOR, and the informed the pilots that they would be expecting radar vectors for the VOR DME 07 approach. Meanwhile, the crew was still unable to reengage the autopilot, and troubleshooting efforts continued. The First Officer at 15:48 suggested switching her instruments to feed from another Central Air Data Computer (CADC), but she was unsure which side was correct. The Captain agreed with this decision and the First Officer switched to the Captain's side CADC. The autopilot and autothrottle became available once again soon afterwards and the First Officer noted: "Okay, we seem to be back in business." at 15:49.
The landing gear was lowered at 15:50, and the crew selected autobrakes to the medium setting. As the crew began the final approach, the Captain said: "[expletive] speeds all over the place with this thing." This was in reference to the speed tape "jumping."
By 15:54, the aircraft reached the Minimum Descent Altitude, and the crew decided to continue the approach. The Captain then asked for Flaps 50, but the First Officer noted that it wasn't working, and she brought the handle back to the Flaps 35 position. The Captain also called for maximum autobrakes, which was acknowledged by the First Officer.
At 15:55 UTC, the aircraft touched down at an airspeed of 196kts. Increased engine RPM noises were captured on the CVR a few seconds later. The aircraft then overshot the runway, striking a localizer antenna and several approach lights before dropping off a 30ft high ledge and entering the shore of Subic Bay.
Aftermath[edit]
While the fuselage broke into two pieces and was partially submerged, the crew managed to escape the aircraft through the emergency escape windows, as the cockpit section was relatively intact. After escaping the aircraft, the Captain and the First Officer swam through the fuel-soaked water and climbed onto the right wing. They were rescued later treated for their injuries at the Legenda Hospital in Cubi Point. [1]
After the crash, a majority of the airframe drifted around 400m east of the final location before being tied down for investigation. Booms were also laid out around the wreckage to contain the fuel that leaked out after the crash. According to Peter Yin, one of FedEx's regional vice presidents in Hong Kong, most of the cargo aboard "has been damaged and may not be salvageable." Richard Gordon told the media that some of the cargo slipped out of the hold after the nose broke away from the aircraft.[4][5]
Normal operations at Subic Bay were resumed early in the morning after the crash.[4]
Investigation[edit]
Blockages of the pitot tube head of the captain's side with an unknown substance was discovered. During the maintenance actions conducted when the initial airspeed anomalies were reported, none of the pitot tube drain holes were inspected. As the aircraft descended, the magnitude of the airspeed difference increased.[1]
When the First Officer selected her instruments to receive data from another CADC, the autopilot and autothrottles became usable. This gave a false impression that the problem was solved, and she ended up selecting the faulty CADC. Furthermore, the crew did not rely on the standby airspeed indicator.
The final report noted that the crew did not comply with FedEx's MD-11 Flight Manual procedures for a GPWS Pull Up Warning, which occurred as the aircraft descended past 500ft. According to these procedures, the crew should have executed a missed approach.
In the final report by the Philippine Air Transportation Office's Aircraft Accident Investigation Board they wrote:
"The Aircraft Accident Investigation Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the failure of the flight crew to properly address an erroneous airspeed indication during descent and landing, their failure to verify and select the correct airspeed by checking the standby airspeed indicator, and their failure to execute a missed approach. These failures led to an excessive approach and landing speed that resulted in a runway overshoot."
Boeing (who merged with McDonnell Douglas) issued a revision to the MD-11's Flight Crew Operating Manual in response to the crash and other anomalies reported by other operators on 15 June 2000. This directed crews to refer to the "Airspeed Lost, Suspect or Erratic" checklist should "SEL ELEV FEEL MAN" and "SELEC FADEC ALTN" or "SEL FLAP LIM OVRD" appear.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Aircraft Accident Investigation Report Federal Express N-581 FE MD-11 Aircraft October 17, 1999 Subic Bay International Airport. Search this book on
- ↑ "N581FE FEDERAL EXPRESS (FEDEX) MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F". 4 April 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ "Accident Description". Aviation Safety Network. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 16 September 2021. Unknown parameter
|url-status=ignored (help) - ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 "FedEx plane overshoots runway, plunges into sea - NEWS (October 19, 1999)". web.archive.org. 1999-11-28. Retrieved 2021-09-17.
- ↑ "FEDEX CREW SURVIVES CRASH CARRIER LOSES COURT ROUND | JOC.com". www.joc.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
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