UPS Airbus A300F accident @ Birmingham, Alabama [Photo/Vid]

[stratofreighter]

Something definitely happened at Birmingham today...

http://aviation-safety.net/database/rec ... 20130814-0

Developing story -
the information presented here is preliminary and may change rapidly.

[Sam V]

A spokesperson for the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth Airport has confirmed a plane crash on Wednesday morning.

Toni Herrera-Bast says a large cargo plane crashed around 5 a.m. near North Eastlake Boulevard. The crash scene is not within the airport fence.

Two people were on board the plane. At this time, they have not been located

http://www.myfoxal.com/story/23132290/p ... th-airport

[sn26567]

UPS Flight 1354, an A300 en route from Louisville, Kentucky, to Birmingham, Alabama, has crashed, FAA confirms. At least two freighters (UPS A300 and FedEx 757) appeared to be on approach to Birmingham around 05:00 local time.

Birmingham Police confirm a "large aircraft crash" happened early Wednesday morning. The area of the crash is near Airport Road and Huffman Road. Officers will be closing some roads to allow for emergency responders to have unrestricted access to the area.

[Sam V]

Picture of what looks point of impact
https://twitter.com/Fox6Clare/status/36 ... 52/photo/1

Another of the burning tail section
https://twitter.com/theglenmoreland/sta ... 68/photo/1

[stratofreighter]

Another picture of that same reporter:
https://twitter.com/Fox6Clare/status/36 ... 92/photo/1

[sn26567]

Full story in The Aviation Herald: http://www.avherald.com/h?article=466d969f

The UPS A300-600 (N155UP) crashed one mile short of runway 18 and burst into flames.

The fate of the 2 crew is still unknown.

NTSB is launching a full Go-Team to investigate this morning's crash of a UPS A306 in Birmingham, AL.

[Sam V]

Multiple pictures and updates:
http://www.alabamas13.com/story/2313215 ... lane-crash

http://2rb79u3xk7ie24aly21l64w1cnu.wpen ... crash3.jpg

[stratofreighter]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6YCmoW0uNY

...seems to have been copied from http://www.alabamas13.com/story/2313215 ... lane-crash

[sn26567]

CNN just reported that, unfortunately, the two crew members have died. RIP!

Runway 18 et Birmingham has no ILS, but on the other had the weather was mild.

[stratofreighter]

Photos from the cockpit:
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/08/pla ... gham-.html

Not much damage due to fire apparently, but the impact forces from the underside must have been severe...

[Treeper]

strange they went for RWY18 iso RWY24. 24 is almost 5000ft longer than 18.
even with mild weather, which it appeared it was, isn't 7100ft a bit short for a full and heavy A306 freighter?

may the pilots RIP.

[galaxy]

isn't 7100ft a bit short for a full and heavy A306 freighter?

Minimum landing distance for A306 freighter is 5364 ft.
http://www.aircraftcompare.com/helicopt ... 00-600F/44

[regi]

Photos from the cockpit:
http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2013/08/pla ... gham-.html

Not much damage due to fire apparently, but the impact forces from the underside must have been severe...

I had the same idea before about the cockpit of Panam 103 and the Turkish airlines crash at AMS.

[sn26567]

NJTSB has recovered the two flight recorders. Investigators are now conducting the initial examination of one of the recorders from UPS flight 1354 in the NTSB laboratory.


Photo NTSB

[sn26567]

In their first press conference on Aug 14th 2013, the NTSB reported the A300-600F N155UP flight 5X-1354 crashed while on approach to runway 18 of Birmingham. There were three impact points prior to the final position of the wreckage over a distance of about 200 yards (200 meters). It appears the aircraft contacted a number of trees on the top of the hill prior to the first point of impact on the ground. The overwing section was extensively damaged by fire, the tail section was still smouldering preventing the black boxes to be recovered, the NTSB is optimistic to recover the boxes the next day. The investigation will "begin in earnest tomorrow morning". Initial information, subject to verification, suggests the crew did not issue a distress call.

In their second press conference on Aug 15th the NTSB reported the black boxes were recovered at about 11:00L after 3 hours of work, the boxes were blackened and sooted, the NTSB however is optimistic to retrieve good data from the boxes. The boxes are being shipped to Washington for analysis where they should arrive in the evening. It should be known on Friday (Aug 16th) whether there are good data on the boxes. Preliminary information shows no evidence of an engine's uncontained failure or fire prior to impact, there is also no evidence of a pre-impact ingestion of foreign objects. The radar data have been obtained. There are no indications of failure of runway/approach lighting, subject to verification. Runway 06/24 was closed at the time of the accident for maintenance of runway centre line lights.

Source: The Aviation Herald

strange they went for RWY18 iso RWY24. 24 is almost 5000ft longer than 18.
even with mild weather, which it appeared it was, isn't 7100ft a bit short for a full and heavy A306 freighter?

The last sentence above is an answer to your question.

NTSB will hold a third press briefing, at 4 p.m. (CDT) today at Birmingham International Airport.

[sn26567]

NTSB will hold a third press briefing, at 4 p.m. (CDT) today at Birmingham International Airport.

In their third press briefing on Aug 16th 2013 the NTSB said, the "recorders did their job", there are good data, the cockpit voice recorder as well as the flight data recorder hold the entire flight. The captain (ATPL, 8,600 hours total, 3,200 hours on type) was pilot flying, the first officer (ATPL, 6,500 hours total, 400 hours on type) was pilot monitoring, the crew briefed the LOC approach runway 18, 2 minutes prior to the end of recording the aircraft received landing clearance on runway 18, 16 seconds before end of recordings there are two audible alerts by the GPWS "Sink Rate! Sink Rate!", 13 seconds prior to end of recording one crew member said "runway in sight", 9 seconds prior to end of recording sounds consistent with impact occurred. The flight data recorder contains more than 400 parameters requiring verification that these parameters are valid, this process takes time. It holds 70 hours of data including the entire accident flight. There were two controllers on duty at Birmingham tower, one controller was taking a break as permitted. The remaining controller observed the crash, he saw sparks and a large bright orange flash that he interpreted as breaking of a power line, he saw the landing lights, then no longer saw the landing lights and instead saw a large orange glow, he activated the crash button. There were no alerts regarding minimum safe altitude issued by his radar system. The crew started their "duty day" in Rockford,IL at 9:30pm on Aug 13th and flew to Peoria,IL as flight 5X-617 on A306 N161UP, then to Louisville,KY again as flight 5X-617 on N161UP before departing for the accident flight 5X-1354 on N155UP.

Source: The Aviation Herald

[sn26567]

In their fourth and last press conference on Aug 17th the NTSB reported, the flight data recorder data have been validated. First results suggests the flight control inputs and flight control surface movements correlate, the engine parameters were normal. The flight data recorder stopped a few seconds prior to the cockpit voice recorder. The autopilot was engaged until the end of flight data recording end, the speed was about 140 KIAS as selected by the autoflight system consistent with the expected approach speed. The flight data recorder also confirmed the Sinkrate GPWS alerts. A checkflight by FAA on the PAPI system confirmed the PAPIs were indicating correctly to 1/100th of a degree. The aircraft had been updated to comply with all service bulletins and airworthiness directives.

Source: The Aviation Herald

The video of this media briefing is available on YouTube:



UPS has sent another A300-600F to Birmingham (BHM). The parked aircraft is for investigators to visit on ground. A separate test flight is foreseen at future date to be determined.

[sn26567]

NTSB has a web page dedicated to crash of UPS 1354. All investigation information will be housed there: http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/2013 ... am_al.html