FDX1406 Emergency at Boston, MA (KBOS) Feb 26, 2009

[dave]

This clip is FDX1406 talking to Boston Approach with a gear extension issue.  Vectored for a 20 mile final to use alternate gear extension procedure.

[N628PW]

I assume everything went alright? Good professionalism on both ends.

[joeyb747]

Dose any one know for sure what type this aircraft was?
I think the "heavys" FedEx uses are the DC-10,  MD-11, A300, and A310.

"Alternate Gear Extension"...I know the DC-10/MD-11 have gravity free fall. The handle is in the cockpit floor. It releases the uplocks, and allows the gear to free fall down and lock in place. I think the Airbus types have a similar method.

Very calm pilot and controller. Very professional!   

[joeyb747]

Oddly enough...I found this...seems 1406 is a bad luck number for FedEx:

http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/1998/AAR9803.pdf

DC-10-10 N68055
Below is the into to the report:

Abstract: This report explains the accident involving Federal Express flight 1406, a Douglas
DC-10-10, which made an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport on September 5,
1996, after the flightcrew determined that there was smoke in the cabin cargo compartment. Safety
issues in the report include flightcrew performance of emergency procedures, undeclared hazardous
materials in transportation, dissemination of hazardous materials information, airport emergency
response, and adequacy of aircraft interior firefighting methods. Safety Recommendations
concerning these issues were made to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of
Transportation, and the Research and Special Programs Administration.

I think if I was a pilot, I'd want to be on the sick list if 1406 came up on my line!

[kea001]

King James I, King of Scotland was assassinated as he was running down a sewer tunnel to the exit.
Unfortunately, he forgot that three days earlier he had blocked that exit up.
Too many tennis balls had been falling into it from the tennis court above. 

 
Of course that was in 1437...but he was crowned in...... 1406. 

[joeyb747]

Nice tie in kea001...very clever! 1406 is defiantly a bad luck number!

[kea001]

There's a good read online about the FDX 1406 fire. I don't know if you can access this without gmail.

It's in a book called Aircraft Accident Analysis - By James M. Walters, Robert L. Sumwalt
http://books.google.ca/books?id=s4apF5bLErwC&pg=PA132&lpg=PA132&dq=flight+1406&source=bl&ots=cn1zewixli&sig=_35dU3N0fgM3iYEtahE7-i_g5_c&hl=en&ei=zdWuSdiFD4-qMpjMzesE&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=6&ct=result#PPA132,M1

[joeyb747]

Very nice! Thanks!

[joeyb747]

Just in case anyone is interested, here is FedEx's fleet list with future aircraft, including the B777F, and the A300-600. It also includes retirement plans for a good portion of the older DC-10 fleet (I like the DC-10). They do show replacement DC-10 aircraft on the roster...I wonder if these are the "new" MD-10? (The DC-10, configured like the MD-11 with only a two man crew)


Airbus A300-600                      70(1 used order) Entering service: 1 in 2009
Airbus A310-200/300               66 Exiting service: 10 in 2010, 3 in 2011, 3 in 2012
Boeing 727-200                       81 Exiting service: 4 in 2009, 8 in 2010, 13 in 2011, 18 in 2012,
                                                13 in 2013, 5 in 2014
                                                Replacement aircraft: Boeing 757-200 Fitted with hush kits
Boeing 757-200                       18 (27 used orders) Entering service: 8 in 2009, 10 in 2010, 6 in 2011, 3 in 2012
                                                Replacing Boeing 727-200
Boeing 777 Freighter               (30 orders)(15 options) Entry into service: 2010-2019
                                                Entering service: 4 in 2010, 10 in 2011, 1 in 2012
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10   2 Exiting service: 2 in 2009
McDonnell Douglas DC-10-30  10 Exiting service: 3 in 2009, 6 in 2010, 1 in 2011
McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10  61(2 used orders) Entering service: 2 in 2009
McDonnell Douglas MD-10-30  10(10 used orders) Entering service: 3 in 2009, 6 in 2010, 1 in 2011
                                                Exiting service: 1 in 2012, 2 in 2013, 3 in 2014
McDonnell Douglas MD-11       58(2 used orders) Entering service: 1 in 2009, 1 in 2010
ATR 42-300/320                      27 Operated as FedEx Feeder
ATR 72-200                             13 Operated as FedEx Feeder
Cessna Caravan 208B            242 Operated as FedEx Feeder
Cessna Caravan 208A            10 Operated as FedEx Feeder
Fokker F-27                             4 Operated as FedEx Feeder          Exiting service: 4 in 2009