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| Date: | Wednesday 4 October 2023 |
| Time: | 23:47 |
| Type: |  Boeing 757-236 (SF) |
| Owner/operator: | FedEx Express |
| Registration: | N977FD |
| MSN: | 24118/163 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 52468 hours |
| Engine model: | Rolls-Royce RB211-535E4 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial, written off |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Chattanooga-Lovell Field (CHA/KCHA), Chattanooga, TN -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Cargo |
| Departure airport: | Chattanooga-Lovell Field, TN (CHA/KCHA) |
| Memphis International Airport, TN (MEM/KMEM) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
FedEx flight 1376, a Boeing 757-236, experienced a failure with its left hydraulic system shortly after takeoff from Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport-Lovell Field (CHA), Tennessee. The airplane turned back to CHA, and, while preparing to land, the landing gear failed to extend normally. The landing gear also failed to extend using the alternate extend system. The flight crew declared an emergency and the airplane sustained substantial damage during the emergency landing. The two flight crew members and the jump seat occupant aboard the airplane were not injured.
The flight crew reported that the airplane had no maintenance issues before the flight and that the push-back, engine start, and taxi were all uneventful. The captain was the pilot flying, and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. Digital flight data recorder (DFDR) data showed that the airplane departed CHA about 22:24.
According to the flight crew, after rotation and confirmation of a positive rate of climb, the first officer (FO) raised the landing gear control lever to retract the landing gear. DFDR data showed that both the main gear and the nose gear retracted to their up and locked position. About 1 minute later, the flap handle was positioned in its up (flaps 0) position. The flight crew reported that immediately thereafter, a “TE FLAP DISAGREE” message was displayed on the engine indication and crew alerting system (EICAS), along with an associated master caution light, a “TRAILING EDGE” discrete light, and the aural alert caution beeper. Per the captain's direction, the FO began accomplishing the “TE FLAP DISAGREE” checklist in the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH).
The FO was able to retract the flaps to their up position via alternate means in accordance with the appropriate checklist contained in the QRH. While completing this checklist, the flight crew received an “L HYD SYS PRESS” EICAS message at 22:24:33 at an altitude of about 1978 ft above ground level (agl). The status page showed that the left hydraulic system fluid quantity was near zero and that the system was not pressurized. The captain directed the FO to run the QRH checklist for “L HYD SYS PRESS”. The flight crew decided to return to CHA.
Upon positioning the landing gear control lever to its down position to extend the gear for landing, the flight crew received a gear unsafe indication via illumination of the amber “GEAR” disagreement light and a “GEAR DISAGREE” message on the EICAS. Also, the lack of illumination of the three green landing gear indicator lights indicated that the gear was not down and locked. The FO then conducted the “Alternate Gear Extension” procedure embedded in the L HYD SYS PRESS checklist, which was unsuccessful. After multiple attempts to lower the landing gear, the flight crew declared an emergency.
The flight crewmembers asked Chattanooga approach if they could conduct a low approach over the runway so that tower personnel could visually confirm the position of the landing gear. The airplane descended to about 150 ft agl and flew the length of the runway, which was followed by a go-around. Approach control relayed confirmation that the landing gear was not in the down position. Subsequently, the flight crew completed the deferred items on the “GEAR UNSAFE” QRH checklist and the airplane was cleared to land on runway 20.
The flight crewmembers reported that during the initial touchdown, the airplane bounced slightly but they were able to maintain directional control and the runway’s centerline. The flight crew was unable to stop the airplane and it slid off the departure end of runway 20 and impacted localizer antennas before coming to rest about 830 ft beyond the end of the runway.
Probable Cause
The failure of the alternate gear extension system, which prevented the landing gear from being lowered. The cause of the system failure was a broken wire, due to tensile overload, between the alternate gear extend switch and the alternate extension power pack (AEPP), preventing the AEPP from energizing and supplying hydraulic fluid to the door lock release actuators for the nose landing gear and main landing gear.
Contributing to the accident was the loss of the left hydraulic system due to a ruptured left main gear door actuator hose from fatigue, which prevented normal landing gear operation.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2023/oct/05/fedex-jet-crash-lands-at-chattanooga-airport/
NTSB
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/flights/fx1376#324e57c3
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/FDX1376/history/20231006/0234Z/KCHA/KMEM
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AIR2502.pdf
History of this aircraft
Other occurrences involving this aircraft
| 5 January 1991 | G-BNSD | Air Europe | 0 | Manchester International Airport (MAN/EGCC) |  |
min |
| Collision with Ground support equipment | ||||||
Location
Images:
Photo: FAA
Media:
Emergency crews captured the moment a FedEx plane crash-landed at the Chattanooga airport Wednesday when its landing gear stopped working. (Credit: Hamilton County EMS)https://t.co/CLPxgzxJgK pic.twitter.com/4hYeCe8IaW
— The National Desk (@TND) October 5, 2023
So this happened at
— Silver Muse????????#Bernie #Dem Socialist (@freedom2muse) October 5, 2023
Chattanooga TN Airport this morning. Yikes!#Fedex#ChattanoogaAirport pic.twitter.com/xD3LqpIaX0
FedEx 757 reported landing gear failure on approach to CHA. CFD says it skidded off the end of the runway after a crash landing. This was the view from Jubilee Dr. Just off Lee Hwy./Brainerd Rd. around 12:30AM. Three onboard are said to be okay. pic.twitter.com/NZ9aggT5vU
— Greg Glover (@gregglover3) October 5, 2023
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 05-Oct-2023 06:09 | harro | Added |
| 05-Oct-2023 06:13 | harro | Updated |
| 05-Oct-2023 13:48 | Iceman 29 | Updated |
| 20-Oct-2023 12:38 | Captain Adam | Updated |
| 04-Apr-2025 05:54 | ASN | Updated [Source, Photo, ] |
| 29-May-2025 18:33 | ASN | Updated [Narrative, Accident report, ] |
| 29-May-2025 18:36 | ASN | Updated |
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