# Accident 20130125002289A: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, Denver, CO, January 25, 2013

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: January 25, 2013, 04:57 local time
- Place: Denver, CO
- Airport: Denver International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Landing: Touchdown
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: FDEA
- Location: 39.8567° N, 104.6603° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.8567&lon=-104.6603&mi=10
- Aircraft: N618FE, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N618FE) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F (registry code 3023600, https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-md-11f) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: GE CF6-80 series (registry code 30025, https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cf6-80-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F
- Reported engine: GE CF6-80 SERIES
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 15,279 total, 3,102 in this make and model, 105 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DCA13CA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA13CA043) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20130125002289A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON FRIDAY, JANUARY 25, 2013, AT 0457 MOUNTAIN STANDARD TIME, A MD-11F REGISTERED AS N618FE OPERATED BY FEDERAL EXPRESS (FEDEX) CORP, EXPERIENCED A TAIL STRIKE DURING LANDING AT DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT(DEN), DENVER, COLORADO ON RUNWAY 17R.  THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE FUSELAGE AND PRESSURE VESSEL. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE TWO CREWMEMBERS OR JUMP SEATING PILOT.

THIS ACCIDENT WAS NOT OF THE TYPE WHICH HAS RESULTED IN SEVERAL MD-11 HULL LOSSES.

SUBSEQUENT INVESTIGATION INDICATED THE CAPTAIN MADE A 100,000 LBS ERROR WHEN LOADING WEIGHT DATA INTO THE FLIGHT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (FMS).

HE THEN FAILED TO INITIATE THE FEDEX REQUIRED CAPTAIN--F/O PERFORMANCE DATA COMPARISON WHICH WOULD HAVE CAUGHT THE ERROR.

THIS RESULTED IN THE AIRCRAFT FMS COMMANDING AN APPROACH SPEED OF 129 KIAS RATHER THAN THE APPROPRIATE 145 KIAS.

THE CREW FLEW THIS SPEED WITHOUT REFERENCE TO THE PITCH ATTITUDE OF THE AIRCRAFT. NORMAL APPROACH PITCH WOULD HAVE BEEN 3-4 DEGREES. AT 500' THE PITCH WAS 9 DEGREES. BY 100' THE F/O, THE FLYING PILOT, HAD PITCHED TO 12 DEGREES.

AT 50 FEET THE AUTO THROTTLES ROLLED BACK TOWARD FLIGHT IDLE AS DESIGNED.  THE F/O ADDED SOME POWER, BUT THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT RESPOND AS HE EXPECTED DUE TO THE VERY SLOW AIRSPEED.

AT TOUCHDOWN THE PITCH WAS 13 DEGREES. THE FAA TEST PILOT FOR THE MD-11 STATED IT WILL HAVE A TAIL STRIKE AT 10 DEGREES PITCH. THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT BOUNCE.

ALL THREE PILOTS SAID THEY ADJUSTED THEIR SEATS THROUGHOUT THE APPROACH SO AS TO SEE THE RUNWAY--THEY ALL THOUGHT THE LANDING FLARE LOOKED NORMAL.

CRM APPEARS TO HAVE FALTERED AND THE CAUSE APPEARS AS FATIGUE. THIS HIGHLY EXPERIENCED AND TRAINED CREW LACK A SHARPNESS OF THOUGHT WHEN CONNECTING PERCEPTIONS TO THE SAFETY OF THEIR FLIGHT. THE CREW DESCRIBED TWELVE EVENTS THAT WERE "INDICATORS SOMETHING'S WRONG," BUT FAILED TO ASSIGN ANY MEANINGFUL RESPONSE TO THESE "OUT OF THE NORM" OBSERVATIONS.

THE REPORTED WEATHER OBSERVATION WAS FOUR MINUTES OLD AT THE TIME OF THE LANDING, AND WEATHER HAD BEEN CONSTANT FOR THE PREVIOUS SEVERAL HOURS.  CURRENT WEATHER AT DEN WAS REPORTED WIND AT 160 DEGREES AT 13 KNOTS, 10 MILES VISIBILITY, FEW CLOUDS AT 10000 FEET, SCATTERED CLOUDS AT 20000 FEET, TEMPERATURE -1C, ALTIMETER 30.12.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB DCA13CA043](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA13CA043), Jan 25, 2013: Mcdonnell Douglas MD11 (N618FE), Denver, CO, substantial damage. Probable cause: the flight crews failure to perform a takeoff performance data briefing following the final entries into the Flight Management System, which would have alerted them to the incorrect weight entry and…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.