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Cases › NYC05FA094 · Part 121 airline

McDonnell Douglas MD-11F

Louisville, KY, USA · 2005-06-07·N250UP

0
fatal
0
serious
No injury
highest injury
Substantial
damage
Replay the flight data181 samples · 94 parameters01:21:40.0 – 01:24:40.0Replay the flight data181 samples · 40 parametersSRN 237,800 – SRN 237,980Replay the flight data181 samples · 40 parametersSRN 194,720 – SRN 194,900Replay the flight data181 samples · 40 parameters43:56:30.0 – 43:59:30.0Read the cockpit voice recorder147 lines01:17:17 – 01:25:44AnalyseThe analystOne timeline · precedents · ask the docket · what the record saysGenerateInvestigation briefFacts, cause, recorder extremes, sequence, sourcesSourceNTSB docket25 documents on data.ntsb.gov

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F was being flown by a captain seated in the left seat (PF), who was receiving initial operating experience (IOE). A captain seated in the right seat, was the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the flight. The airplane was landing on an 8,579-foot-long, concrete runway, during night visual meteorological conditions. After main gear touchdown, the nose gear touched down, and subsequently collapsed. The airplane sustained damage to and around the pressure bulkhead, at station 625. Data obtained from the flight data recorder revealed that after main gear touchdown, the control column was moved sharply forward resulting in a change in pitch angle from approximately 5 degrees nose up, to about 1 degree nose down, which was accompanied by a reduction in load factor to approximately 0.3 g's. The vertical load factor then spiked to approximately 2.5 g's on nose wheel contact, over twice that of a typical landing, with a load factor increment of 0.75 g's, also excessive. Metallurgical examination of the remnants of the nose landing gear assembly were consistent with overstress, and no evidence of any preexisting fractures were observed.

Probable cause

the Board's determination
The flying pilot's improper aircraft handling after main landing gear touchdown, which resulted in the collapse of the nose landing gear assembly. Conributing to the accident was the pilot-in-command's inadequate supervision during the landing.

Sequence of events

15 timed eventsfrom the FDR factual report · claude-sonnet-5
  1. 1:24:00Landingp.3
    The left and right inboard and outboard wheel spin up indicated a status of '> 80 knots'. The airplane's computed airspeed was 157 knots, pitch was 5.6º nose up, and the airplane experienced a vertical acceleration of 1.8 g's.
  2. 1:24:01Landingp.3
    The thrust reversers began to unlock.
  3. 1:24:02Landingp.3
    The airplane experienced a vertical acceleration of 2.5 g's and reached a pitch of 1.2º nose down.
  4. 1:24:03Landingp.3
    The right nose gear indicated 'ground'.
  5. 1:24:04Landingp.3
    The left nose gear indicated 'ground'; all three thrust reversers were deployed; pitch reached 3.9º nose up before decreasing again.
  6. 1:24:04-1:24:05Landingp.3
    Both nose gear parameters indicated 'air' for two seconds.
  7. 1:24:06Landingp.3
    Both nose gear parameters remained at 'ground'. The computed airspeed at this time was 132 knots.
  8. N/ALandingp.3
    The flaps were set at 35º during the event landing. The spoilers were 'Armed,' but the L3, L5, R3, and R5 spoilers did not deploy. The gross weight was about 446,880 lbs. at touchdown.
  9. SRN 237925Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    During the previous landing in Anchorage, the left and right wheels indicated a status of '> 80 knots' right after a pitch up of 7.6º and a vertical acceleration of 1.4 g's.
  10. SRN 237929Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    The airplane reached a pitch of 0.4º nose down and experienced a vertical acceleration of 2.2 g's.
  11. SRN 237930Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    The nose gear began to indicate 'ground'.
  12. SRN 237931Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    Both nose gear parameters then indicated 'air' for one second before remaining at 'ground' for the remainder of the landing.
  13. SRN 237933Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    The L3, L5, R3, and R5 spoilers began to deploy and reached between 56º and 59º.
  14. SRN 237937Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    Thrust reversers did not begin to unlock until this time.
  15. SRN 237940Previous Landing (Anchorage)p.4
    Thrust reversers were fully deployed.

NTSB analysis

from the final report

The McDonnell Douglas MD-11F was being flown by a captain seated in the left seat (PF), who was receiving initial operating experience (IOE). A captain seated in the right seat, was the pilot-in-command (PIC) of the flight. The airplane was landing on an 8,579-foot-long, concrete runway, during night visual meteorological conditions. After main gear touchdown, the nose gear touched down, and subsequently collapsed. The airplane sustained damage to and around the pressure bulkhead, at station 625. Data obtained from the flight data recorder revealed that after main gear touchdown, the control column was moved sharply forward resulting in a change in pitch angle from approximately 5 degrees nose up, to about 1 degree nose down, which was accompanied by a reduction in load factor to approximately 0.3 g's. The vertical load factor then spiked to approximately 2.5 g's on nose wheel contact, over twice that of a typical landing, with a load factor increment of 0.75 g's, also excessive. Metallurgical examination of the remnants of the nose landing gear assembly were consistent with overstress, and no evidence of any preexisting fractures were observed.