The NTSB has released their preliminary report of the FedEx plane crash I first told you about back on January 27th, 2008.
What follows is the content of their report:
NTSB Identification: CEN09MA142
Nonscheduled 14 CFR Part 121: Air Carrier operation of Empire Airlines
Accident occurred Tuesday, January 27, 2009 in Lubbock, TX
Aircraft: AEROSPATIALE ALENIA ATR 42-320, registration: N902FX
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.
On January 27, 2009, approximately 0437 central standard time, N902FX, an Aerospatiale Alenia ATR-42-320, operating as Empire Airlines flight 8284, sustained substantial damage when it landed short of the runway threshold while executing the Instrument Landing System (ILS) RWY 17R approach at Lubbock Preston Smith International Airport (LBB), Lubbock, Texas. The airplane was registered to Federal Express Corporation, Memphis, Tennessee, and operated by Empire Airlines, Hayden, Idaho. The airline transport pilot rated captain was seriously injured and the commercial rated first officer sustained minor injuries. An instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the flight that departed Fort Worth Alliance Airport (AFW), Fort Worth, Texas, approximately 0319. Night instrument meteorological conditions prevailed for the supplemental cargo flight operated under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121.
A preliminary review of air traffic control communications revealed that the captain contacted the Lubbock Air Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at 0422, and reported that they were descending from an altitude of 10,000 feet down to 8,000 feet mean sea level (msl). A controller acknowledged the transmission and then provided the airport’s current weather information and a runway breaking-action advisory. In addition, he provided vectors for the ILS 17R approach.
At 0430, the controller instructed the airplane to descend and maintain an altitude of 5,000 feet msl. At 0432, the controller informed the flight crew that the wind had shifted 180 degrees from the north to the south between 5,000 and 6,000 feet msl. The captain responded and added that he also noted a drop in the outside air temperature of 8 degrees and concurred with the controller’s observation regarding the wind shift. The controller cleared the airplane for the ILS approach at 0433 and instructed the flight crew to contact Lubbock Control Tower. The captain acknowledged.
At 0434, the captain contacted the control tower and a controller cleared the airplane to land on runway 17R. The captain acknowledged the landing clearance and there were no further communications. Approximately three minutes later an airport maintenance employee contacted the tower and asked “what is that fire there at the end of the runway?” A controller responded, “it’s an airplane.” The controller had witnessed the accident and had activated the alarm for the airport rescue and fire fighting equipment to respond.
An on-scene examination of the wreckage revealed that the airplane landed short of the runway threshold and collided with the approach lighting system before it skidded off the right side of the runway into the grass. The airplane came to rest on a westerly heading perpendicular to the runway. A post-impact fire consumed a large portion of the fuselage and the right wing.
At 0415, the special weather report at LBB included wind from 350 degrees at 10 knots, visibility 2 miles, light freezing drizzle, mist, ceiling 500 feet overcast, temperature 46 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 48 degrees Fahrenheit, and a barometric pressure setting of 30.02 inches of Mercury.
Couple of points about the weather report at the time of the accident:
• The aircraft was landing with a considerable tail wind.
• The reported dew point is 2 deg F higher than the air temp – not possible even
if the air is saturated (100% rel humidity)
• The reported weather is freezing drizzle. For this to occur the ground temp
(and, ideally, the air temp) has to be below 32 deg F (0 deg C), which isn’t likely
if the air temp is 46 deg F (8 deg C).
•The 0430 transcript mentions the wind change at 5,000 ft msl. The airfield altitude is about 3200 ft so why didn’t the pilot ask the controller for a surface wind reading?
• Aviation uses 3 different pressure readings, QFE (airfield level), QFF (QFE corrected to sea level) and QNH (also QFE corrected to sea level, but using a constant atmosphere rather than the current conditions). Could there have been a miscommunication between ground and air crew about this?
I hope the pilots make a full recovery from the injuries they sustained.
Disclaimer: I’m going from memory about the pressures – it’s 26 years since I worked at Heathrow airport.
Forgot to mention: QNH is the one used for altimeter settings (same disclaimer applies!).
I think their must have been a misprint in their release. In my original post I posted the metars with air temp of 18F. There was most definitely freezing drizzel/fog across the entire area.
My mistake. I didn’t see the earlier weather report. At 0415 a special weather report was issued, meaning one of the weather parameters had changed beyond certain limits. That’s more than 20 mins before the accident happened. I don’t know if the regulations in the UK are still the same as they were when I worked there, but the CAA (governing body for aviation there) required that a special observation, known as a “crash ob,” be performed in the event of an accident involving an aircraft. I wonder if the FAA has the same requirement?
Brace yourselves for a shock.
It’s been known since the 90’s that this kind of aircraft can’t handle ice anywhere near as well as most other aircraft.
Does anyone remember how miserable, difficult, and dangerous the weather was that night?
American Airlines stopped flying them up north a long time ago.
but Lubbock passengers AND cargo still fly on them.
YES – there were token changes made by the French to the machines
anti-icing after several crashes, with little value.
The French allso tightened up the aircraft manual to limit the machine to all but the *mildest* ice weather. -Otherwise its illegal by the manual.
I dont have to tell a storm chaser how fast the weather can change.
basically the weather will be found not guilty, awful as it was that night- without regard to the SEVERE incapabilities of the machine.
The pilot will be blamed for flying into weather that changed too rapidly to react, and thus was illegal by the book the French wrote to cover their butts.
Sad, but likely true.
The Goalpoasts were moved and France is known to take VERY draconian protectionist measures to hush-hush the downfalls of their industry, Ethics, reality or the truth be damned.
*Disclaimer. I have no inside knowledge of the investigation, but this is a no-brainer to my tiny little mind with a slight degree of aircraft knowledge.
Bye now.