NTSB Advisory
National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594
August 7, 2002
UPDATE ON INVESTIGATION INTO THE CRASH OF
FEDEX FLIGHT 1478, TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA
The National Transportation Safety Board dispatched a Go Team to
investigate the crash of FedEx flight 1478, a Boeing 727-232 (N497FE). The
plane crashed on approach to Tallahassee Regional Airport at approximately
5:40 a.m., July 26, 2002, following a flight from Memphis, Tennessee. The
three crewmembers survived but the aircraft was destroyed by post-impact
fire. The following is a summary of factual information released by the
investigative team.
Air Traffic Control
Because the Tallahassee tower was not scheduled to open until 6:00
a.m., the FedEx crew was in contact with Jacksonville Center. The aircraft
was attempting a visual approach to Runway 09. The last communication from
the flight crew to air traffic control was a routine call that they had the
airport in sight.
Wreckage Path
The aircraft first impacted trees 3,650 feet short of the runway,
generally along the runway centerline. The tops of the trees were broken
about 50 feet above ground level. The plane descended through trees until
impacting the ground about 1,000 feet later. It slid an additional 1,100
feet - most of it in open field - and came to rest about 1,000 feet from the
runway facing in the opposite direction of travel (approximately 260
degrees). The plane struck construction vehicles that were parked on the
field during the night. Burn marks on the ground indicate a fire on the
plane for the last 1,000 feet or so of travel. The entire wreckage path was
on airport property.
Weather
The surface observation at 5:53 a.m. (about 10 minutes after the
crash) was wind calm, visibility 8 miles, few clouds at 100 feet, scattered
clouds at 15,000 feet and 25,000 feet, temperature and dew point 22 degrees
Celsius, altimeter 30.11. The observer stated that the "clouds at 100 feet"
were thin wisps near trees west of the airport, and there were no
obstructions to visibility in the approach zone.
Fire Fighting
When the airport fire fighting units arrived at the wreckage scene
at about 5:45, all three flight crewmembers were outside the aircraft and
ambulatory. At 5:48, one of the crewmembers gave the fire fighters a list
of hazardous materials that were on the plane. Fire fighting was slowed by
the presence of HAZMAT, but the fire was declared under control at 7:52 a.m.
and out at 9:40. Fire fighters reported that they expended about 1,000
pounds of purple K (a dry chemical agent for metal fires), 2,100 gallons of
foam, and 67,900 gallons of water.
Cargo
Among the cargo on board the plane were some hazardous materials
consisting of 60 pounds of detonating fuse (1.128 grams of actual
explosive), 900 pounds of corrosive materials (such as batteries), and an
amount of radioactive medical supplies. The medical supplies were removed
from the aircraft the next day and most of the other hazardous materials
were destroyed in the post-crash fire.
Engines
Engines 1 and 2 were Pratt and Whitney JT8D-15s, and engine 3 was a
JT8D-15A. All exhibited signs of rotational damage (indicative of operation
at impact) and none exhibited signs of uncontained engine failure, in-flight
fire, bird strike or pre-impact failure.
Flight Crew
The captain was hired by FedEx on August 6, 1992. He reported
approximately 14,000 flight hours, of which 860 were as Pilot in Command on
727s. The first officer was hired on October 29, 1997. Records indicate he
had 2,640 total flight hours, of which 525 were in the 727. The flight
engineer was hired on September 3, 2001. He reported approximately 2,600
total flying hours, including 345 in the 727.
The Captain and the Flight Engineer have been interviewed. Both
state that they cannot remember much about the accident itself. The Flight
Engineer reported that the initial descent was through layers of clouds, and
they were anticipating possible fog due to the temperature/dew point spread,
but that the airport was sighted by all three crewmen. The pilots briefed
the approach to Runway 27, but the First Officer, who was the flying pilot,
suggested that they use Runway 09 because it was straight in and the winds
were calm. The crews' statements indicate that the base leg was normal and
the PAPI (Precision Approach Path Indicator) was visible on final approach,
gear was down, and flaps set at 30 degrees. The Flight Engineer stated that
he saw no fog during the approach. The captain reported that all three
crewmembers exited through his sliding window. The First Officer has not
been interviewed due to his medical condition.
Flight Recorders
The flight data recorder was a Honeywell Solid State Universal
Flight Data Recorder containing about 60 parameters of information. The
cockpit voice recorder was a Fairchild A-100 tape recorder with
approximately 32 minutes of recording capacity. Both were recovered in
excellent condition.
Parties
Parties to the investigation are the Federal Aviation
Administration, FedEx Corporation, Boeing Commercial Aircraft, Pratt and
Whitney Engines, the Airline Pilots Association, the National Air Traffic
Controllers Association, and Tallahassee Regional Airport.
On-scene Close Out
The last members of the NTSB investigative team left Tallahassee on
August 1. Other than some aircraft system components taken by the Board for
possible future examination, the wreckage was released to the owner on that
day. The remainder of the investigation will be directed from Safety Board
headquarters in Washington.
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NTSB Press Contact: Ted Lopatkiewicz
(202) 314-6100