Event Details


Title:Collision With Trees on Final Approach, Federal Express Flight 1478, Boeing 727-232, N497FE, Tallahassee, Florida, July 26, 2002
Micro summary:This Boeing 727-232F crashed short of the airport and was destroyed.
Event Time:2002-07-26 at 0537 EDT
File Name:2002-07-26-US.pdf
Publishing Agency:National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)
Publishing Country:USA
Report number:NTSB/AAR-04/02
Pages:130
Site of event:short final, TLH rwy 9
Latitude/Longitude:N30.406820 W84.359642 (approx, derived from ground
Departure:Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, Tennessee, USA
Destination:Tallahassee Regional Airport, Tallahassee, Leon county, Florida
Airplane Type(s):Boeing 727-232
Flight Phase:Approach
Registration(s):N497FE
Operator(s):Federal Express
Type of flight:Revenue
Occupants:3
Fatalities:0
Serious Injuries:3
Minor/Non-Injured:0
Other Injuries:0
Executive Summary:Abstract: This report explains the accident involving Federal Express flight 1478, a Boeing 727-232F, N497FE, which struck trees on short final approach and crashed short of runway 9 at the Tallahassee Regional Airport, Tallahassee, Florida. Safety issues in this report focus on flight crew performance, flight crew decision-making, pilot fatigue, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of pilots with color vision deficiencies. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are addressed to the FAA.

Executive Summary On July 26, 2002, about 0537 eastern daylight time, Federal Express flight 1478, a Boeing 727-232F, N497FE, struck trees on short final approach and crashed short of runway 9 at the Tallahassee Regional Airport (TLH), Tallahassee, Florida. The flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a scheduled cargo flight from Memphis International Airport, in Memphis, Tennessee, to TLH. The captain, first officer, and flight engineer were seriously injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact and resulting fire. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an instrument flight rules flight plan.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the captain's and first officer's failure to establish and maintain a proper glidepath during the night visual approach to landing. Contributing to the accident was a combination of the captain's and first officer's fatigue, the captain's and first officer's failure to adhere to company flight procedures, the captain's and flight engineer's failure to monitor the approach, and the first officer's color vision deficiency.

The safety issues in this report focus on flight crew performance, flight crew decision-making, pilot fatigue, and Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification of pilots with color vision deficiencies. Safety recommendations concerning these issues are addressed to the FAA.
Learning Keywords:Operations - Black hole approach
Operations - Crew Resource Management
Operations - In-flight Collision with Ground Structure
Operations - Runway Underrun
Operations - Unstabilized Approach
Other - Crew Fatigue
Consequence - Hull Loss

 




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