Status:	Schlussbericht
Datum:	26 JUL 2002
Zeit:	05:37 EDT
Flugzeugtyp:	Boeing 727-232F
Fluggesellschaft:	FedEx Express
Kennzeichen:	N497FE
Werknummer:	20866/1067
Baujahr:	1974-09-03 (27 years 11 months)
Betriebsstunden:	37980
Anzahl Zyklen der Zelle:	23195
Triebwerk:	3 Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 (HK3)
Besatzung:	Todesopfer: 0 / Insassen: 3
Fluggäste:	Todesopfer: 0 / Insassen: 0
Gesamt:	Todesopfer: 0 / Insassen: 3
Sachschaden:	Zerstört
Konsequenzen:	Written off (damaged beyond repair)
Unfallort:	Tallahassee Municipal Airport, FL (TLH) (USA)
Flugphase:	Landung (LDG)
Betriebsart:	Frachtflug
Flug von:	Memphis International Airport, TN (MEM/KMEM), USA
Flug nach:	Tallahassee Municipal Airport, FL (TLH/KTLH), USA
Flugnummer:	1478

Unfallbericht:
The pilots had initially briefed the approach to runway 27, but since winds were calm a straight in visual approach to runway 09 was attempted. The crews' statements indicate that the base leg was normal and the gear was down and flaps at 30 degrees when the plane impacted trees 3,650 feet short of the runway, generally along the runway centerline. The tops of the trees were broken about 50 feet above ground level. The plane descended through trees until impacting the ground about 1,000 feet later. It slid an additional 1,100 feet - most of it in open field - and came to rest about 1,000 feet from the runway facing in the opposite direction of travel (approximately 260 degrees). The plane struck construction vehicles that were parked on the field during the night. Burn marks on the ground indicate a fire on the plane for the last 1,000 feet or so of travel.
METARs of 05:53 and 06:43 local time were:
KTLH 260953Z 00000KT 8SM FEW001 SCT150 SCT250 22/22 A3011 RMK AO2 SLP195 T02220217=
KTLH 261053Z 00000KT 9SM FEW001 SCT015 SCT150 BKN250 22/22 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP200 VIS SW-NW 1/2 CB DSNT SE CB DSNT SW FU SCT015 FU PLUME OVR APCH RWY 09 T02220217=

PROBABLE CAUSE: "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. "

Informationsquelle:
» NTSB