UPS cargo plane crashes near Alabama airport

UPS cargo plane crashes near Alabama airport

www.foxnews.com

A federal aviation official says a large UPS cargo plane has crashed near an airport in Birmingham, Ala.
Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman Kathleen Bergen tells The Associated Press that the A300 plane crashed on approach to the airport before dawn Wednesday. Two people were on board the plane. At this time, they have not been located, MyFoxAl.com reported.
Bergen says the plane was en route from Louisville, Ky. to Birmingham.


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After yesterday's Indian Navy Sub blast and sinking which resulted in the death of all 18 crew, comes this news from the safest cargo airliner - The UPS.

The crash caused at least two explosions, throwing debris across the area. Emergency officials at the scene say the plane is still burning.

The Federal Aviation Administration said the A300 plane - en route from Louisville, Kentucky, to Birmingham - crashed on approach to the airport before dawn.

Local reports say two people were aboard the plane, but there was no immediate information on them.

Reports say the plane went down on the outskirts of Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, in an open field that is just outside the perimeter fence of the airport.

I smell a rat here, could these be part of the Global Terror Alert which was issues by State Department and also the Interpol?

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Ugh, I really hope the crew is ok. Odds are they're not, but one can hope

I doubt it's terrorism related. More likely pilot error (fatigue happens) or weather, or possibly mechanical. A quick look at Birmingham's weather shows that it's currently overcast. I wonder if weather played any role? Anyone from the area that can let us know if it was stormy or windy or something?

reply to post by Nyiah


Both pilots deceased.

'Other' reports mention many explosions, rather than the two mentioned in mainstream media. I'm still looking for information; but, all rad meters look normal so that's one false Internet rumor down.

Take off and landing are the two most dangerous phases of flight and when most crashes occur. The crash site is a half mile short of the runway. The crash site was near a church and homes in the area.

They think the explosions were related to the fuel on board the aircraft, and not from anything else. Flight tracking websites show the plane descended 9,000 feet in the last two minutes before impact.

It was UPS 1354, an Airbus A300 (N155UP), out of Louisville Kentucky, into Birmingham. The aircraft broke apart on impact, with the nose section remaining intact, and not catching fire. There are reports that there may have been hazmat on board the flight. The bodies of the pilots were found about 100 yards from the crash site. One witness said it sounded like they were running out of fuel shortly before impact.

If the plane did run out of fuel and it wasn't a mechanical or fuel contamination issue, that's a serious error on some one's part. I will bet that didn't happen.though.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
Take off and landing are the two most dangerous phases of flight and when most crashes occur. The crash site is a half mile short of the runway. The crash site was near a church and homes in the area.

They think the explosions were related to the fuel on board the aircraft, and not from anything else. Flight tracking websites show the plane descended 9,000 feet in the last two minutes before impact.

It was UPS 1354, an Airbus A300 (N155UP), out of Louisville Kentucky, into Birmingham. The aircraft broke apart on impact, with the nose section remaining intact, and not catching fire. There are reports that there may have been hazmat on board the flight. The bodies of the pilots were found about 100 yards from the crash site. One witness said it sounded like they were running out of fuel shortly before impact.

Please give the source for the above.

As per following links, the Authorities have not been able to find out what exactly caused the crash and the three explosions, investigation is still ongoing. The weather was calm.

I quote, " “This incident is very unfortunate, and our thoughts and prayers are with those involved,” UPS Airlines President Mitch Nichols said in a statement.
What caused the jet to crash was unclear. The weather was calm at the time, Bell said. The National Transportation Safety Board said it was sending a team of investigators to the site." Fox59

Also, "Local residents tell AL.com that they were told they do not need to evacuate the area — but that they also lost power, as it seems the plane may have clipped power lines on its way to the ground.
The National Transportation Safety Board says it is sending a team to Alabama to help investigate the crash."
NPR

This is still a developing story...nothing is certain as of now.

reply to post by roadgravel


It's happened in the past. The Gimli Glider as they call it, was a Canadian Airlines 767, where they made a mistake fueling, because the FQIS was non-functional. During fueling they had to drip the tanks, and used the wrong specific gravity for the fuel. Instead of using 0.8 kg/liter they used 1.77, which was written on the fuel slips.

They landed in Ottawa and had the tanks redripped. It was reported that they had 11,000 liters in the wing tanks, which using the wrong weight was plenty to read Edmonton (that would be 44,000 pounds using the specific gravity they used). In reality they had less than half that (they calculated at over 20,000 kilos, when in reality it was just over 9,000). They ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing on runway 32L at RCAF Gimli, which had been converted to a drag strip, and was in use at the time. Fortunately there were no serious injuries, and the plane was put back into service after extensive repairs.

reply to post by UnknownEntity

The crash caused at least two explosions and strewed debris across a long path, according to NBC News affiliate WVTM. The plane crashed about 900 yards from the airport in an open field, WVTM reported. Police said no homes were affected by the crash.

usnews.nbcnews.com...

Sharon Wilson, who lives near the airport, said she was in bed before dawn when an airplane went over her house at what sounded like treetop level.

The engines were making an odd sound like sputtering, she said.

"It sounded like an airplane had given out of fuel. We thought it was trying to make it to the airport. But a few minutes later we heard a loud `boom,'" she said.

www.huffingtonpost.com...

Birmingham William Bell, who was briefed on the situation by the city's fire chief, said the plane broke into two or three primary pieces. "There were two to three small explosions, but we think that was related to the aviation fuel," he said.

www.usatoday.com...

A witness said it sounded like the plane was running out of fuel as it passed overhead.
"A few minutes later we heard this loud 'boom,' and we really didn't know what it was," Sharon Wilson told the station.

Neighbors heard a loud boom followed by a series of other explosions, the station reported.

www.nydailynews.com...

reply to post by Zaphod58


Yes, it does happen. There was the flight over the med sea that ran out of fuel because incorrect instrumentation was installed. And the trans Atlantic flight where the fuel leaked away,

Has to be a terrible feeling to run out of fuel if there was enough initially .to make the flight.

"He guys, were are short on cash. Just put a couple of bucks worth of fuel in and we will fill up tomorrow"

If a headwind is forty miles per hour, and it just stops, it can cause a plane to fall if it is close to stall speed coming into a landing. I had that happen to me when I took flying lessons. My heart was pounding hard for four hours after, good thing I had the instructor with me to aim it towards the ground and give it full throttle.

I never flew after that, I was to solo the next time I flew.

It could have been something as simple as that, maybe the pilot couldn't regain the airspeed.

One witness has already said the plane was on fire before it crashed. It could just be those litium batteries as already suggested, or oxygen tanks. Both have been responsible for crashes in the past.

At 6AM, visibility 9 mi, calm and overcast.

Originally posted by Zaphod58
They think the explosions were related to the fuel on board the aircraft, and not from anything else.

One witness said it sounded like they were running out of fuel shortly before impact.

Contradicting if both the above statements are true Atleast from the preliminary reports. I guess we'll just have to wait for the official word.

Lithium batteries were the cause of a UPS aircraft's crash a few years ago. From what the woman said the engines sounded like it is possible that they flew through a flock of birds and the engines may have ingested them. This could have been why some claim that they saw a fire on board.

reply to post by hp1229


Not really. You can be low enough to cause engine problems, but have enough vapor left to cause explosions in the tanks. Or have a fuel flow problem where you're not getting fuel to the engines but have plenty left (British Airways).

That's it, I am done with planes. I have only been on a handful in my life, but Im done. I swear the last two years have had more incidents with large cargo and passenger planes over American skies than the entire decade prior. Im not talking about all the little private small planes that always crash into a house or rural road, those were not what scared me. But increasingly these incidents are happening to large cargo and passenger jets, so I am done. I enjoy a good road trip anyways.


Thanks but no thanks.

Anyways, edit to add the following. If the pilots were aware they were having engine problems or going to have a rough landing I though it was standard to dump as much fuel as possible to avoid explosions in a worst case. With that in mind, I think there may be foul play involved, at the very least involving the cargo.

reply to post by DYepes


The last few years have been the safest ever for commercial air travel. There have been few accidents, and ffewer fatalities.

One of the pilots had been identified as Shanda Fanning. Apparently his family is involved in the Jack Daniels plant in Tennessee.

Don't quote me, but I have a feeling that there have been a few landings,short of fuel.

Part of the tightening of belts by management?

So running out of fuel could well be the reason.

I hope it was not Lithium batteries again, as I thought that problem had been addressed.

Sad news about the two crew.