larry
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 5, 2002
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After all the complaining on press coverage of aviation here is one story that doesn't make any assumptions.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/4922083.htm
NTSB releases records on July's FedEx crash
Pilot hesitated, then took assignment
By Rachel Sams
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON - The pilot at the controls of the FedEx Boeing 727 that crashed at Tallahassee Regional Airport last year had doubts about whether to work the flight, according to investigative records released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The 900-page docket is the first public release of information on what happened before, during and after FedEx Flight 1478, which departed Memphis for Tallahassee in the early morning hours of July 26.
"We have worked closely with the NTSB on the investigation of Flight 1478, and it would be inappropriate to comment on the content of these documents until the NTSB issues its final report," FedEx spokesman Ed Coleman said Friday.
It could be some time before the NTSB reaches its conclusion on what caused the crash. The agency prefers to issue final reports by the one-year anniversary of a crash, but many factors can make that take longer, said NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz.
A question before takeoff
Flight 1478 was the first time the three crew members - Capt. William Walsh, 55; first officer William Frye, age 44, who was flying the plane; and second officer David Mendez, 33 - had flown together.
Walsh had been off duty for a couple of days. Mendez flew from Memphis to Buffalo, N.Y., and then on to Ottawa, Canada, in the early morning of July 25. He slept for about six and a half hours before receiving notification of duty on the Tallahassee flight. He flew to Memphis, where he relaxed for a brief period before the flight.
On July 25, Frye had an early morning flight from Memphis to Winnipeg, Canada. He slept five or six hours, then flew a shipment from Winnipeg to Grand Forks, N.D. Shortly thereafter, he flew to FedEx's Memphis hub, where he was notified of duty for the Tallahassee flight - scheduled to take off in about four hours.
Because of the short notice, he checked with a company duty officer about the legality of the flight, the report said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has specific flight-time limitations for situations in which two pilots and an additional flight crew member travel together, as on the Boeing 727. They include a limit of 12 total hours of flight time during any 24-hour period and a requirement that pilots must be given at least 24 consecutive hours of rest during any seven consecutive days. According to the NTSB docket, Frye had six hours' total flight time, including the Tallahassee trip, in the 24 hours prior to the crash.
After conferring with the officer and reviewing union rules, Frye accepted the trip.
The NTSB report says that after Frye chose to accept the assignment to fly to Tallahassee, he decided to file a grievance later, seeking clarification of FedEx's scheduling rules. Frye was serving 24-hour reserve duty and wasn't aware that trips could be added to the end of a duty period without 24 hours' advance notice, if the total flight times wouldn't exceed federal limits, the report said.
FedEx declined to comment on whether Frye had filed any grievance.
The flight left Memphis for Tallahassee 12 minutes late because it was initially too heavy, and the pilots had to wait as loading adjustments were made.
The NTSB found about 32 minutes of good-quality audio on the cockpit voice recorder. The recording began at 5:05 a.m. Eastern time, with a sound identified as the captain humming or singing.
The captain and first officer said they would try to land on runway 27 at the Tallahassee airport. The captain told the NTSB in post-crash interviews that he had planned the approach to 27 but was concerned about "being heavy and landing with a 'little bit of tailwind.'"
Questions over runway use
The pilots discussed whether runway 9 would be better. "We ever decide if we're goin' 9 or 27?" the first officer asked at 5:28 a.m.
The pilots briefed the approach for runway 9 and began looking out for the runway. They planned a visual approach that would use the airport's Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lighting system for guidance.
The captain told the NTSB in post-crash interviews that he saw a thin layer of mist or a translucent layer of moisture that did not obstruct his ability to see the airport. "The captain then reported feeling turbulence, hearing sounds, severe shaking, and thumping of the airplane," the NTSB docket says.
"(I'm) gonna have to stay just a little...bit higher (or) I'm gonna lose...the end of the runway," Frye said at 5:36 a.m. Seconds later, the captain said, "Clear to land, runway uh...number nine." Then he said, "It's startin' to disappear a little bit in there, idn't [sic] it."
A computerized ground proximity warning system announced distances from the ground and warned to "bank angle, bank angle." The last sounds on the cockpit voice recorder are a crunching and a loud squeal.
Near the time of the crash, National Weather Service observers and equipment recorded conditions of calm wind, with visibility of 8 miles and a few clouds at 100 feet, according to the NTSB report. The temperature and dew point were identical. Sunrise in Tallahassee was at 6:52 a.m. that day.
Under those conditions, it is possible that clouds or patchy fog may have affected the pilots' ability to see the runway, said Eric Doten, director of the Center for Aerospace Safety and Security Education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.
"My suspicion is that there were some atmospheric conditions that probably were influential in causing them to land short of the runway," said Doten, who hadn't seen the NTSB docket when he spoke.
Tests negative for drugs, alcohol
All three men told the NTSB they couldn't remember the crash itself.
FedEx spokesman Ed Coleman wouldn't comment on whether the three men still fly for the company, saying FedEx has a policy of not commenting on employee status.
Frye suffered rib fractures and chest injuries, a bruised lung, a closed head injury and a shoulder strain. Walsh's injuries included a vertebra fracture and multiple vertebra dislocations and a nasal bone fracture. Mendez's injuries included a concussion and a bruise to the chest wall.
The three men tested negative for alcohol and numerous drugs. Walsh tested positive for morphine, but he had received morphine for his injuries before the test was taken.
All three men met FAA and FedEx certification requirements, and none had any history of actions against his flying certificates, according to the NTSB.
http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/local/4922083.htm
NTSB releases records on July's FedEx crash
Pilot hesitated, then took assignment
By Rachel Sams
DEMOCRAT STAFF WRITER
WASHINGTON - The pilot at the controls of the FedEx Boeing 727 that crashed at Tallahassee Regional Airport last year had doubts about whether to work the flight, according to investigative records released Friday by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The 900-page docket is the first public release of information on what happened before, during and after FedEx Flight 1478, which departed Memphis for Tallahassee in the early morning hours of July 26.
"We have worked closely with the NTSB on the investigation of Flight 1478, and it would be inappropriate to comment on the content of these documents until the NTSB issues its final report," FedEx spokesman Ed Coleman said Friday.
It could be some time before the NTSB reaches its conclusion on what caused the crash. The agency prefers to issue final reports by the one-year anniversary of a crash, but many factors can make that take longer, said NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz.
A question before takeoff
Flight 1478 was the first time the three crew members - Capt. William Walsh, 55; first officer William Frye, age 44, who was flying the plane; and second officer David Mendez, 33 - had flown together.
Walsh had been off duty for a couple of days. Mendez flew from Memphis to Buffalo, N.Y., and then on to Ottawa, Canada, in the early morning of July 25. He slept for about six and a half hours before receiving notification of duty on the Tallahassee flight. He flew to Memphis, where he relaxed for a brief period before the flight.
On July 25, Frye had an early morning flight from Memphis to Winnipeg, Canada. He slept five or six hours, then flew a shipment from Winnipeg to Grand Forks, N.D. Shortly thereafter, he flew to FedEx's Memphis hub, where he was notified of duty for the Tallahassee flight - scheduled to take off in about four hours.
Because of the short notice, he checked with a company duty officer about the legality of the flight, the report said.
The Federal Aviation Administration has specific flight-time limitations for situations in which two pilots and an additional flight crew member travel together, as on the Boeing 727. They include a limit of 12 total hours of flight time during any 24-hour period and a requirement that pilots must be given at least 24 consecutive hours of rest during any seven consecutive days. According to the NTSB docket, Frye had six hours' total flight time, including the Tallahassee trip, in the 24 hours prior to the crash.
After conferring with the officer and reviewing union rules, Frye accepted the trip.
The NTSB report says that after Frye chose to accept the assignment to fly to Tallahassee, he decided to file a grievance later, seeking clarification of FedEx's scheduling rules. Frye was serving 24-hour reserve duty and wasn't aware that trips could be added to the end of a duty period without 24 hours' advance notice, if the total flight times wouldn't exceed federal limits, the report said.
FedEx declined to comment on whether Frye had filed any grievance.
The flight left Memphis for Tallahassee 12 minutes late because it was initially too heavy, and the pilots had to wait as loading adjustments were made.
The NTSB found about 32 minutes of good-quality audio on the cockpit voice recorder. The recording began at 5:05 a.m. Eastern time, with a sound identified as the captain humming or singing.
The captain and first officer said they would try to land on runway 27 at the Tallahassee airport. The captain told the NTSB in post-crash interviews that he had planned the approach to 27 but was concerned about "being heavy and landing with a 'little bit of tailwind.'"
Questions over runway use
The pilots discussed whether runway 9 would be better. "We ever decide if we're goin' 9 or 27?" the first officer asked at 5:28 a.m.
The pilots briefed the approach for runway 9 and began looking out for the runway. They planned a visual approach that would use the airport's Precision Approach Path Indicator (PAPI) lighting system for guidance.
The captain told the NTSB in post-crash interviews that he saw a thin layer of mist or a translucent layer of moisture that did not obstruct his ability to see the airport. "The captain then reported feeling turbulence, hearing sounds, severe shaking, and thumping of the airplane," the NTSB docket says.
"(I'm) gonna have to stay just a little...bit higher (or) I'm gonna lose...the end of the runway," Frye said at 5:36 a.m. Seconds later, the captain said, "Clear to land, runway uh...number nine." Then he said, "It's startin' to disappear a little bit in there, idn't [sic] it."
A computerized ground proximity warning system announced distances from the ground and warned to "bank angle, bank angle." The last sounds on the cockpit voice recorder are a crunching and a loud squeal.
Near the time of the crash, National Weather Service observers and equipment recorded conditions of calm wind, with visibility of 8 miles and a few clouds at 100 feet, according to the NTSB report. The temperature and dew point were identical. Sunrise in Tallahassee was at 6:52 a.m. that day.
Under those conditions, it is possible that clouds or patchy fog may have affected the pilots' ability to see the runway, said Eric Doten, director of the Center for Aerospace Safety and Security Education at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.
"My suspicion is that there were some atmospheric conditions that probably were influential in causing them to land short of the runway," said Doten, who hadn't seen the NTSB docket when he spoke.
Tests negative for drugs, alcohol
All three men told the NTSB they couldn't remember the crash itself.
FedEx spokesman Ed Coleman wouldn't comment on whether the three men still fly for the company, saying FedEx has a policy of not commenting on employee status.
Frye suffered rib fractures and chest injuries, a bruised lung, a closed head injury and a shoulder strain. Walsh's injuries included a vertebra fracture and multiple vertebra dislocations and a nasal bone fracture. Mendez's injuries included a concussion and a bruise to the chest wall.
The three men tested negative for alcohol and numerous drugs. Walsh tested positive for morphine, but he had received morphine for his injuries before the test was taken.
All three men met FAA and FedEx certification requirements, and none had any history of actions against his flying certificates, according to the NTSB.
