# NTSB DCA13CA035: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, N612FE, Memphis, TN, December 26, 2012 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Minor injuries · Data collection · Final report - Date: December 26, 2012, 02:15 local (08:15 UTC) - Place: Memphis, TN - Coordinates: 35.042499, -89.976669 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=35.0425&lon=-89.9767&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Prior to flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/100) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Prior to flight: Ground collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200) - Highest injury: Minor injuries - Injuries: 1 minor, 3 uninjured; on the ground: 1 minor - Status: Completed, report April 3, 2013 - Report: Approved by Office Director - NTSB office: Major Investigations Division - NTSB case key (mKey): 85952 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA13CA035 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/85952/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=85952 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA13CA035 ## Probable cause the operator's failure to provide appropriate training and documentation for ground personnel, leading the marshaller to inadvertently guide the airplane into the collision. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Design: design of document/info](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04011020): Organizational issues › Development · Operator (probable cause); cases with it: [Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04011020/cases.md?model=3023600), [All aircraft, 11 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04011020/cases.md) - [Use of equip/info: use of charts](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063025): Personnel issues › Task performance · Ground crew (probable cause); cases with it: [Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063025/cases.md?model=3023600), [All aircraft, 10 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063025/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Taxi: Collision with terr/obj (non-CFIT) ](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470); cases with it: [Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md?model=3023600), [All aircraft, 10,153 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/470/sequence.md) - [Prior to flight: Ground collision](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200) (defining event); cases with it: [Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200/sequence.md?model=3023600), [All aircraft, 620 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/200/sequence.md) ## Analysis On December 26, 2012, at 0215 Central Standard Time, a Boeing MD-11F, registration N612FE, operated by Federal Express Airlines as flight 1480 from Memphis International Airport (KMEM) to Portland, Oregon International Airport (KPDX), struck a deicing vehicle while being marshaled onto the "E" deicing pad at KMEM. The aircraft was substantially damaged, the deicing vehicle was damaged, and there were no injuries to the 2 flight crew and one jumpseat passenger. The ground employee in the deice bucket experienced a minor injury. Weather at the time of the event was reported as dark lighting conditions with 2 miles visibility in blowing snow and clouds at 900 feet. The flight crew reported that they taxied to the deice area and called the deice pad coordinator. The crew taxied the airplane onto the pad in response to marshaller lighted wand signals. The First Officer observed that the two vehicles on the right side of the airplane were outside the painted taxiway edge lines. The operation was not using wing walkers. The First Officer noted that the wingtip area is outside the field of view from the flight deck windows. The marshaller began to signal the crew to stop, at the same time the deice coordinator radioed them to stop the airplane, and the pilot reported he felt a shudder. The right wing of the airplane contacted the deice vehicle approximately 4 feet from the right winglet at the number 8 slat. The deice bucket passed under the wing surface, puncturing a fuel tank leading to a fuel spill of approximately 75 gallons. The coordinator advised the crew to shut down the engines and that they had a fuel leak. The crew was unaware the airplane had struck the vehicle, until informed by maintenance personnel. The airplane was towed back to parking, and the crew exited via the main entry door. The right forward wing spar lower cap, forward flange had a horizontal crack about 10 inches long. Additional damage included the right outboard aileron, right wing slats and associated hardware, right wing leading edge behind the slat, right wing fuel tip tank vent manifold, lower skin plank, and three fuel tank panels. The lower wing skin aft of the damaged spar cap was punctured and one of the lower wing stringers was deformed. The damage to the spar cap, lower wing skin and lower wing affected the structural strength of the wing in this area, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane per 49 CFR 830. The deice vehicle boom arm was also damaged. Deice pad (also known as "carwash") E is located on Taxiway C, north of taxiway V and adjacent to a parking apron. Fedex document "Carwash E Parking Plan" diagram indicates that on deice pad E, MD-11 airplanes must be positioned east of the Taxiway C centerline in order to provide proper clearance. The flight crew followed ground personnel marshaling instructions onto the deice pad. The marshaller and maintenance technician working on pad E had never worked at the location before, and were unaware of therequirement to taxi MD-11 airplanes off centerline. The diagrams provided to the marshaller and coordinator were unclear and not sufficient to be standalone documents. ## Factual narrative On December 26, 2012, at 0215 Central Standard Time, a Boeing MD-11F, registration N612FE, operated by Federal Express Airlines as flight 1480 from Memphis International Airport (KMEM) to Portland, Oregon International Airport (KPDX), struck a deicing vehicle while being marshaled onto the "E" deicing pad at KMEM. The aircraft was substantially damaged, the deicing vehicle was damaged, and there were no injuries to the 2 flight crew and one jumpseat passenger. The ground employee in the deice bucket experienced a minor injury. Weather at the time of the event was reported as dark lighting conditions with 2 miles visibility in blowing snow and clouds at 900 feet.The flight crew reported that they taxied to the deice area and called the deice pad coordinator. The crew taxied the airplane onto the pad in response to marshaller lighted wand signals. The First Officer observed that the two vehicles on the right side of the airplane were outside the painted taxiway edge lines. The operation was not using wing walkers. The First Officer noted that the wingtip area is outside the field of view from the flight deck windows. The marshaller began to signal the crew to stop, at the same time the deice coordinator radioed them to stop the airplane, and the pilot reported he felt a shudder. The right wing of the airplane contacted the deice vehicle approximately 4 feet from the right winglet at the number 8 slat. The deice bucket passed under the wing surface, puncturing a fuel tank leading to a fuel spill of approximately 75 gallons. The coordinator advised the crew to shut down the engines and that they had a fuel leak. The crew was unaware the airplane had struck the vehicle, until informed by maintenance personnel. The airplane was towed back to parking, and the crew exited via the main entry door. The right forward wing spar lower cap, forward flange had a horizontal crack about 10 inches long. Additional damage included the right outboard aileron, right wing slats and associated hardware, right wing leading edge behind the slat, right wing fuel tip tank vent manifold, lower skin plank, and three fuel tank panels. The lower wing skin aft of the damaged spar cap was punctured and one of the lower wing stringers was deformed. The damage to the spar cap, lower wing skin and lower wing affected the structural strength of the wing in this area, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane per 49 CFR 830. The deice vehicle boom arm was also damaged. Deice pad (also known as "carwash") E is located on Taxiway C, north of taxiway V and adjacent to a parking apron. Fedex document "Carwash E Parking Plan" diagram indicates that on deice pad E, MD-11 airplanes must be positioned east of the Taxiway C centerline in order to provide proper clearance. The flight crew followed ground personnel marshaling instructions onto the deice pad. The marshaller and maintenance technician working on pad E had never worked at the location before, and were unaware of therequirement to taxi MD-11 airplanes off centerline. The diagrams provided to the marshaller and coordinator were unclear and not sufficient to be standalone documents. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N612FE](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N612FE), registered now, S/N 48605, built 1993 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: MCDONNELL DOUGLAS MD-11F - Registry model: [Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F](https://openairdocs.org/model/mcdonnell-douglas-md-11f) (registry code 3023600) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [GE CF6-80 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cf6-80-series) (registry code 30025, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 48605 - Airframe hours: 65270 - Engines: GE CF6-80 SERIES 47600 lbs thrust turbo fan; GE CF6-80 SERIES 47600 lbs thrust turbo fan; GE CF6-80 SERIES 47600 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Federal Express Corp - Registered owner: Wilmington Trust Company Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Departed: KMEM, Memphis, TN - Destination: KPDX, Portland, OR - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: KMEM, Memphis ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 57; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; seat: left; flight hours: 6,318 total, 6,318 in this make and model - Co-pilot; age 36; injuries: none; airline transport; airplane ratings: multi-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1; seat: right; flight hours: 151 total, 151 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Instrument (IMC), Night - Wind: 350° at 15 knots, gusting 22 - Visibility: 2 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 900 ft broken - Temperature: 34 °F, dew point 34 °F - Altimeter: 29.61 inHg - Observed at: KMEM ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20121226028609A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20121226028609A), Dec 26, 2012: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, Memphis, TN, Substantial damage. While being marshalled into the "e" deice pad, FDX1480 struck a deice truck at the #8 slat. The NTSB classified the event as an accident due to the extensive… ## Other investigations on N612FE (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 DCA10WA042](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA10WA042), Mar 23, 2010: Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F (N612FE), Hungary, incident, no damage ## Docket (9 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on April 3, 2013, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=85952. 5.5 MB in all. - Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 (item 1, .PDF, 1.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40389270&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Pilot%2FOperator%20Aircraft%20Accident%20Report,%20NTSB%20Form%206120.1-Redacted.PDF - Flight and Ground Crew Statements (item 2, .PDF, 1.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385234&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Flight%20and%20Ground%20Crew%20Statements-Redacted.PDF - Meteorology 5 - Dispatch weather and NOTAMs (item 3, .PDF, 130 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385235&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Meteorology%205%20-%20Dispatch%20weather%20and%20NOTAMs-Master.PDF - Maps or Charts of Accident Area - Fedex Deice E diagram (item 4, .PDF, 75 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385560&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maps%20or%20Charts%20of%20Accident%20Area%20-%20Fedex%20Deice%20E%20diagram-Master.PDF - Maps or Charts of Accident Area - Google Earth View of Deice Pad E (item 5, .PDF, 353 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385562&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maps%20or%20Charts%20of%20Accident%20Area%20-%20Google%20Earth%20View%20of%20Deice%20Pad%20E-Master.PDF - Maps or Charts of Accident Area - Memphis Airport Diagram (item 6, .PDF, 261 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385564&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Maps%20or%20Charts%20of%20Accident%20Area%20-%20Memphis%20Airport%20Diagram-Master.PDF - Photo - Spar tee cap crack (item 7, .PDF, 102 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385236&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Photo%20-%20Spar%20tee%20cap%20crack-Master.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation - Boeing (item 8, .PDF, 216 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385242&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation%20-%20Boeing-Redacted.PDF - Statement of Party Representatives to NTSB Investigation - Fedex (item 9, .PDF, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=40385558&FileExtension=.PDF&FileName=Statement%20of%20Party%20Representatives%20to%20NTSB%20Investigation%20-%20Fedex-Redacted.PDF 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. --- 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.