BREAKING NEWS: UPS Cargo Aircraft Down Crashes Alabama

[Jetranger]

8/14/2013 6:00am

Breaking News: UPS Large Cargo Aircraft crashes and Explodes in Birmingham , Alabama - USA.

NEWS LINK : http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/08/14/20020990-cargo-plane-crashes-explodes-in-alabama?lite

more news : http://www.myfoxal.com/story/23132290/plane-crash-confirmed-at-birmingham-shuttlesworth-airport

Link : http://www.cnn.com/2013/08/14/us/alabama-cargo-plane-crash/index.html

[Fozzer]

UPS!

Lets hope that your brand new, genuine, Fender Stratocaster Guitar that you've been waiting for, wasn't on board at the time!.... ....!

Paul.

[Bud Greene]

I guess we aren't going to see Tom Hanks swim out of the wreckage of this one. oh, wait, that was a FedEx plane he was on.
Seriously though, my condolences to the families if the pilot and co-pilot.

[Fozzer]

UPS/Fed-Ex plane crash...

Similar to a sunken Freight Container Ship...

I cant help thinking about all the tons of lost property, and massive insurance complications and claims, following such a total loss!

Now the problems start!

Paul.

[expat]

UPS/Fed-Ex plane crash...

Similar to a sunken Freight Container Ship...

I cant help thinking about all the tons of lost property, and massive insurance complications and claims, following such a total loss!

Now the problems start!

Paul.

Not that insurance companies need an excuse to make things complicated. Just recently, well about 8 weeks ago, I had a skylight in my house broken by a hail storm. Did the usual things, sent the quotes to the insurance company. They refused saying...............................I could get a cheaper one on.....................ebay!! I have only just stopped laughing. The ombudsman now has a folder on his desk

Matt

[MASABI TROOPER]

Matt, as you correctly said.................as little clients its allmost impossible to get the money back.. ..................but the sad part is that two oilots lost there lifes..........that doesn´t have any price at all.......it´s still sad for everyone........

[Ant87]

The values of the guys lives is worth more than any insurance company can pay back.
Sad sad day

[MASABI TROOPER]

Please excuse my lapsus lingue...............i wanted to say Pilots and not oilots.................

[expat]

The values of the guys lives is worth more than any insurance company can pay back.
Sad sad day

But the sad fact of the matter is, the value of the average human life is only about $600,000. The worth is to the family and friends, to the insurance it is as little as possible and if you are found to be at fault (sadly they probably were) then it will be as close to zero as possible......

Matt

[Fozzer]

...more news...>>>

http://www.flyingmag.com/technique/acci ... MzM3Mzk2S0

Paul.

[Brian Z]

First mention of fire on board I've seen... but the first video I saw of the crash, I thought I saw the same thing but then I couldn't find the video again.

[MASABI TROOPER]

If they really had fire on board, than why didn´t pilots say anything???............. what is registered in the black box??.............

[expat]

If they really had fire on board, than why didn´t pilots say anything???............. what is registered in the black box??.............

On site NTSB briefings......taken from http://avherald.com/h?list=&opt=1 (Guys go here for incident/accident information. Unless said information is confirmed as correct is is never posted. The press want you to read, they have to make money out of the adverts etc and good news never sells, unless it is a royal baby. The Aviation Herald on the other hand is run by professionals and is kept running by donation. Also, if you want a laugh or two, then read the comments. The number of FSX armchair multi rating million hour experts is incredible, however as I said the posted information is always accurate.)

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 center line lights.

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.

[expat]

New NSTB update.......

"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."

Matt