Accident Overview
On August 14, 2013, at approximately 0447 central daylight time, United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600 aircraft registered as N155UP, crashed short of runway 18 during a localizer nonprecision approach to Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) in Birmingham, Alabama. The captain and first officer were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire.
Flight Details
The flight was operating as a nonscheduled cargo flight under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121. It was conducted on an instrument flight rules flight plan. The aircraft originated from Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field (SDF) in Louisville, Kentucky, about 0503 eastern daylight time.
Weather and Visibility Conditions
At the time of the accident, dark night visual flight rules conditions prevailed at the airport. However, variable instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with a variable ceiling were present north of the airport on the approach course.
Investigation
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigated the accident. The full report is available under NTSB/AAR-14/02. The aircraft was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The accident occurred during a nonprecision approach to runway 18 using a localizer procedure.