What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
(-23) During landing, center gear lower drag link failed causing retract cylinder to shear and loss of hyd systems #1 & #3. Center gear collapsed rearward damaging fuselage structure and skin punctures. Center gear removed and a/c was ferried to mem for permanent repairs. (.4)on October 5, 1999, at 0540 eastern daylight time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, N606FE, operated by federal express (fedex) as flight 1700, was substantially damaged while landing at Newark International Airport (ewr), Newark, new jersey. There were no injuries to the two certificated pilots. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the cargo flight, which had originated from indianapolis, Indiana. Flight 1700 was operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan under 14 CFR part 121. In interviews, the flight crew reported that the en route phase of flight, and the approach to runway 04R occurred without incident. For landing, the airplane was configured with the wing flaps at 50 degrees, and the auto-brakes were selected to the maximum setting. The captain described the touch down as "firm" but not hard. He said he wanted to touch down in the first 1,500 feet of the runway. As the nose wheel was lowered to the runway, the pilots felt a vibration. They reported that it felt similar to a deflated tire. One of the pilots thought he felt the vibration along the longitudinal axis of the airplane. During the landing rollout, the center landing gear unsafe light illuminated. As the airplane was clearing the runway, the central aural warning system (caws) generated a voice warning about unsafe landing gear. After the airplane exited the runway, it crossed runway 04L, and was stopped on a parallel taxiway. The master caution light was illuminated, and the reservoir for hydraulic system # 3 was empty. After referencing with the checklist, the captain elected to taxi the airplane straight ahead at a slow speed, toward the fedex ramp area. The airplane was stopped after it entered the ramp area, and the airplane was towed to the gate. Examination of the airplane revealed that the center landing gear, which normally was angled 15 degrees forward of vertical, was angled about 45 degrees aft of vertical. The upper lugs of the lower drag brace were fractured, and the cap on the center landing gear retraction cylinder had been pulled out. Tire marks were found on the aft fuselage above the tires of the center landing gear. The aft side of the landing gear strut was pushed against the aft bulkhead of the center landing gear well. The metal was deformed and torn in the area that had contact with the center landing gear strut. To ferry the airplane for repairs, the center landing gear strut was depressurized and compressed to rotate the strut into the center landing gear wheel well. The center landing gear strut servicing was not recorded prior to depressurization and compression of the strut.
As the FAA filed it
(-23) DURING LANDING, CENTER GEAR LOWER DRAG LINK FAILED CAUSING RETRACT CYLINDER TO SHEAR AND LOSS OF HYD SYSTEMS #1 & #3. CENTER GEAR COLLAPSED REARWARD DAMAGING FUSELAGE STRUCTURE AND SKIN PUNCTURES. CENTER GEAR REMOVED AND A/C WAS FERRIED TO MEM FOR PERMANENT REPAIRS. (.4)ON OCTOBER 5, 1999, AT 0540 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F, N606FE, OPERATED BY FEDERAL EXPRESS (FEDEX) AS FLIGHT 1700, WAS SUBSTANTIALLY DAMAGED WHILE LANDING AT NEWARK INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (EWR), NEWARK, NEW JERSEY. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE TWO CERTIFICATED PILOTS. VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED FOR THE CARGO FLIGHT, WHICH HAD ORIGINATED FROM INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA. FLIGHT 1700 WAS OPERATED ON AN INSTRUMENT FLIGHT RULES FLIGHT PLAN UNDER 14 CFR PART 121. IN INTERVIEWS, THE FLIGHT CREW REPORTED THAT THE EN ROUTE PHASE OF FLIGHT, AND THE APPROACH TO RUNWAY 04R OCCURRED WITHOUT INCIDENT. FOR LANDING, THE AIRPLANE WAS CONFIGURED WITH THE WING FLAPS AT 50 DEGREES, AND THE AUTO-BRAKES WERE SELECTED TO THE MAXIMUM SETTING. THE CAPTAIN DESCRIBED THE TOUCH DOWN AS "FIRM" BUT NOT HARD. HE SAID HE WANTED TO TOUCH DOWN IN THE FIRST 1,500 FEET OF THE RUNWAY. AS THE NOSE WHEEL WAS LOWERED TO THE RUNWAY, THE PILOTS FELT A VIBRATION. THEY REPORTED THAT IT FELT SIMILAR TO A DEFLATED TIRE. ONE OF THE PILOTS THOUGHT HE FELT THE VIBRATION ALONG THE LONGITUDINAL AXIS OF THE AIRPLANE. DURING THE LANDING ROLLOUT, THE CENTER LANDING GEAR UNSAFE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. AS THE AIRPLANE WAS CLEARING THE RUNWAY, THE CENTRAL AURAL WARNING SYSTEM (CAWS) GENERATED A VOICE WARNING ABOUT UNSAFE LANDING GEAR. AFTER THE AIRPLANE EXITED THE RUNWAY, IT CROSSED RUNWAY 04L, AND WAS STOPPED ON A PARALLEL TAXIWAY. THE MASTER CAUTION LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED, AND THE RESERVOIR FOR HYDRAULIC SYSTEM # 3 WAS EMPTY. AFTER REFERENCING WITH THE CHECKLIST, THE CAPTAIN ELECTED TO TAXI THE AIRPLANE STRAIGHT AHEAD AT A SLOW SPEED, TOWARD THE FEDEX RAMP AREA. THE AIRPLANE WAS STOPPED AFTER IT ENTERED THE RAMP AREA, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS TOWED TO THE GATE. EXAMINATION OF THE AIRPLANE REVEALED THAT THE CENTER LANDING GEAR, WHICH NORMALLY WAS ANGLED 15 DEGREES FORWARD OF VERTICAL, WAS ANGLED ABOUT 45 DEGREES AFT OF VERTICAL. THE UPPER LUGS OF THE LOWER DRAG BRACE WERE FRACTURED, AND THE CAP ON THE CENTER LANDING GEAR RETRACTION CYLINDER HAD BEEN PULLED OUT. TIRE MARKS WERE FOUND ON THE AFT FUSELAGE ABOVE THE TIRES OF THE CENTER LANDING GEAR. THE AFT SIDE OF THE LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS PUSHED AGAINST THE AFT BULKHEAD OF THE CENTER LANDING GEAR WELL. THE METAL WAS DEFORMED AND TORN IN THE AREA THAT HAD CONTACT WITH THE CENTER LANDING GEAR STRUT. TO FERRY THE AIRPLANE FOR REPAIRS, THE CENTER LANDING GEAR STRUT WAS DEPRESSURIZED AND COMPRESSED TO ROTATE THE STRUT INTO THE CENTER LANDING GEAR WHEEL WELL. THE CENTER LANDING GEAR STRUT SERVICING WAS NOT RECORDED PRIOR TO DEPRESSURIZATION AND COMPRESSION OF THE STRUT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.