What happened
In the early morning hours of August 14, 2013, a UPS cargo flight, operating as flight 1354, crashed while approaching runway 18 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama. The aircraft, an Airbus A300-600 with registration N155UP, was performing a localizer non-precision approach when it struck the ground short of the runway. The impact and subsequent fire caused the total destruction of the airframe. Both the captain and the first officer sustained fatal injuries during the accident.
The flight had departed from Louisville International Airport in Kentucky earlier that morning. At the time of the approach, the airport was experiencing dark night conditions with variable instrument meteorological conditions and fluctuating ceilings north of the field. Due to a scheduled maintenance closure of the airport's primary runway, runway 06/24, the crew was forced to utilize the shorter runway 18, which only offered a non-precision approach capability.
Findings
Investigations into the accident highlighted several critical communication and operational gaps. While weather forecasts indicated that low ceilings would necessitate an alternate airport, the flight dispatcher failed to discuss these low ceilings or the limitations of the single available approach with the flight crew. Furthermore, the crew was not informed that the longer runway with the precision approach was scheduled to reopen at approximately 0500 CDT, which might have altered their approach strategy. Crucially, the crew was not provided with updated information regarding the variable ceilings present along the approach course during the flight.