Investigation Summary
During the approach to Newark, the flight crew expressed concern regarding the available stopping distance on Runway 22R. This concern was exacerbated by a misinterpreted runway data chart, an inoperative thrust reverser on the number 1 engine, and a history of intermittent auto-brake failures recorded in the aircraft's maintenance log. These factors led the captain to attempt a 'firm' touchdown early on the runway to maximize braking distance. As the aircraft descended through 17 feet, the captain lowered the nose to ensure an early touchdown, then rapidly pulled back and increased thrust to cushion the descent, followed by another nose-down input at the moment of impact. This 'hunting' for the runway resulted in a high sink rate and a destabilized flare. The aircraft touched down at 149 knots with a descent rate of 500 feet per minute, resulting in a 1.67g bounce. During the second touchdown, which occurred at 1.7g vertical acceleration, the right main landing gear strut bottomed out, transferring massive loads into the airframe. The right wing rear spar failed, rupturing fuel tanks and causing the aircraft to roll onto its back as it skidded off the runway.
Final Conclusions
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined the probable cause was the captain's over-control of the airplane during the landing and his failure to execute a go-around from a destabilized flare. Contributing to the accident was the captain's concern with touching down early to ensure adequate stopping distance. The NTSB report (NTSB/AAR-00-02) noted that the control inputs were too late and too large to stabilize the landing, leading to the structural failure of the wing spar.
Video Analysis
No video analysis linked for this case file yet.
Airframe & Maintenance
Crew Experience
Captain
46 years old; joined FedEx via Flying Tiger Line merger in 1988.
First Officer
39 years old; former U.S. Air Force pilot; had 592 total hours with FedEx.
Systems & Failure Modes
Wing Spars
The structural backbone of the wing; the right rear spar failed during the second touchdown due to excessive loads from the bottomed-out landing gear strut.
Thrust Reversers
The aircraft departed with the left engine (#1) thrust reverser inoperative, increasing the crew's anxiety regarding stopping distance.
Auto-brakes
The crew was aware of previous maintenance entries where the auto-brakes failed to activate, contributing to their desire for an early touchdown.
Interesting Facts
- 01The aircraft was named 'Joshua' just nine days before the accident.
- 02The airframe had previously sustained damage in two separate bounced landing incidents in 1994.
- 03All five people on board survived the inverted crash and subsequent fire.
- 04The captain was later terminated by FedEx in 2000, a decision contested by the pilot's union.
- 05The MD-11 involved was 3 years and 10 months old at the time of the crash, having been delivered in September 1993.
Safety Actions & Advisories
MD-11 Pilot Training Enhancement
Source ↗The NTSB recommended that the FAA develop new training tools for MD-11 pilots regarding design sink rate limits, roll angle limits, and structural loading consequences of bottoming landing gear struts.
Go-around Policy Promotion
Source ↗Investigators recommended promoting a proactive go-around orientation for crews encountering unstabilized landing flares or bounces.
Simulator Training Syllabus
Source ↗The FAA was urged to provide a syllabus for simulator training on identifying unstabilized flares and recovery techniques for overcontrol in pitch before touchdown.
Known Controversies & Unanswered Questions
Captain's Termination
Reference ↗Captain Freeman was fired in 2000; the FedEx pilot union appealed the decision, arguing that aircraft design flaws rather than pilot error were the primary cause of the crash.