What happened
On October 28, 2016, a FedEx Express cargo flight, operating N370FE, arrived at Fort Lauderdale–Hollywood International Airport from Memphis, Tennessee. The flight, a McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10F, was performing an instrument landing approach to runway 10L. During the landing sequence, the aircraft touched down left of the runway centerline. Shortly after the left main landing gear made contact with the runway, the crew reported hearing a loud bang followed by several thuds.
As the pilot applied the brakes, the aircraft experienced a significant left yaw. This coincided with the collapse of the left main landing gear. Following the gear failure, the number one engine briefly supported the weight of the aircraft, leading to a fire near the left wingtip. The crew observed an explosion at the engine, and while the captain attempted to use a fire extinguisher, the device failed to discharge. The aircraft eventually came to a halt off the left side of the runway, positioned at an angle of approximately 30 to 40 degrees from the runway heading. The two crew members successfully evacuated the aircraft through the right cockpit window. The incident resulted in zero fatalities and one minor injury to the captain, while the first officer remained uninjured. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
Findings
Data from the flight recorders and airport surveillance indicate that the landing gear failure occurred immediately following the application of braking. The collapse of the left main landing gear caused the aircraft to lose directional control and led to the ignition of a fire in the area of the number one engine.