Wed, Jun 01, 2005
Following the December
18, 2003 crash of a Federal Express MD-10 at Memphis International
Airport, the NTSB has established a set of recommendations as a
result of the fire and rescue issues that resulted.
The Boeing MD-10-10F (MD-10),1 N364FE, crashed while landing at
Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, Tennessee. The right
main landing gear collapsed after touchdown on runway 36R, and the
airplane veered off the right side of the runway. After the gear
collapsed, a fire developed on the right side of the airplane.
Of the two flight crewmembers and five nonrevenue FedEx pilots
on board the airplane, the first officer and one nonrevenue pilot
received minor injuries during the evacuation. The post-crash fire
destroyed the airplane’s right wing and portions of the right
side of the fuselage. Flight 647 departed from Metropolitan Oakland
International Airport, Oakland, California, about 0832 (0632
Pacific standard time) and was operating under the provisions of 14
Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight
rules flight plan.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the
probable causes of the accident were 1) the first officer’s
failure to properly apply crosswind landing techniques to align the
airplane with the runway centerline and to properly arrest the
airplane’s descent rate (flare) before the airplane touched
down; and 2) the captain’s failure to adequately monitor the
first officer’s performance and command or initiate
corrective action during the final approach and landing.
Other issues identified during the course of this investigation
resulted in the following set of recommendations: Safety
Recommendations A-05-14 through -18
The National Transportation Safety Board recommends that the
Federal Aviation Administration:
- Require all 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 air carrier
operators to establish programs for flight crewmembers who have
demonstrated performance deficiencies or experienced failures in
the training environment that would require a review of their whole
performance history at the company and administer additional
oversight and training to ensure that performance deficiencies are
addressed and corrected. (A-05-014)
- Amend the emergency exit training information contained in the
flight crew and cabin crew sections in Federal Aviation
Administration Order 8400.10, Air Transportation Aviation
Inspectors Handbook, to make the emergency exit door/slide training
described in the flight crew section as comprehensive as the cabin
crew emergency training section of the principal operations
inspector handbook. (A-05-015)
- Verify that all 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121
operators emergency door/slide trainers are configured to
accurately represent the actual airplane exit door/slide and that
their flight crew emergency exit door/slide training provides the
intended hands-on emergency procedures training as described in 14
CFR 121.417, to include pulling the manual inflation handle.
(A-05-016)
- Inform all air traffic control tower controllers of the
circumstances of this accident, including the need to ensure that
aircraft rescue and firefighting (ARFF) vehicles are not delayed
without good cause when en route to an emergency and the need to
relay the number of airplane occupants to ARFF responders.
(A-05-017)
- In cooperation with the Memphis/Shelby County Airport Authority
and Memphis Fire Department, modify the November 1, 2001, letter of
agreement, titled, Airport Emergency Procedures, to fully describe
the protocol to be used for emergency responses, including
Rural/Metro Fire Department aircraft rescue and firefighting
equipment and personnel. (A-05-018)
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