FedEx Express Flight 647 facts for kids
FedEx Flight 647 after the fire.
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | December 18, 2003 |
| Summary | Pilot error |
| Place | Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee, United States 35°01′59.9″N 89°58′18.7″W / 35.033306°N 89.971861°W |
| Passengers | 5 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Injuries (non-fatal) | 2 (Minor) |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 7 (all) |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F |
| Aircraft name | Amber |
| Airline/user | FedEx Express |
| Registration | N364FE |
| Flew from | Metropolitan Oakland International Airport, Oakland, California |
| Flying to | Memphis International Airport, Memphis, Tennessee |
FedEx Express Flight 647 was a cargo plane flight that had an accident during landing. It happened on December 18, 2003, at Memphis International Airport in Memphis, Tennessee. The plane was flying from Oakland International Airport in Oakland, California. Luckily, everyone on board survived, though two people had minor injuries.
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The Aircraft and Its Crew
The airplane involved in this event was a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F. This type of plane is a large, three-engine jet. Its special registration number was N364FE. The plane had flown for a very long time, about 65,375 hours in total.
The flight had an experienced team flying it. The captain was 59 years old. He had worked for FedEx and another airline for many years. He had flown MD-10 and MD-11 planes for over 2,600 hours. The first officer was 44 years old. She had also flown for many years, with about 1,918 hours on MD-10/MD-11 aircraft.
There were also five other FedEx crew members on board. They were not working during the flight and were traveling as passengers to Memphis.
What Happened During the Flight
On December 18, 2003, Flight 647 was supposed to leave Oakland at 8:10 AM. There was a small delay because of a package sorting problem. The plane then took off for Memphis at 8:32 AM. The flight from Oakland to Memphis was smooth and without any problems.
The plane landed at Memphis Airport at about 12:26 PM. It touched down on runway 36R. Almost immediately after landing, the right landing gear broke. The plane then moved off the right side of the runway. As it did, a fire started.
The co-pilot got minor injuries while leaving the plane. One of the five FedEx crew members who were passengers also had minor injuries. This passenger had trouble using the emergency exit slide. It was later found that the slide detached from the plane because it was pulled in a way that would release it for a water landing.
How the Accident Was Investigated
The NTSB is a group that investigates accidents like this. They looked into what caused the accident. They found that the weather conditions, like the crosswind during landing, were not too bad for the plane. The plane should have been able to land safely.
The investigation showed that the first officer did not line up the plane correctly. She also did not slow the plane enough before it touched down. This caused the plane to land too hard. When the plane landed, the crosswind pushed the right wing down. This put too much stress on the right landing gear, causing it to break. The NTSB also said that the captain should have checked the first officer's actions more closely.
The NTSB also found a problem with the training rules for flight crews. These rules did not fully cover how to use emergency exit slides properly.
Images for kids
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An MD-10 (N363FE), similar to the one involved in the accident.
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