No fatalities

1999-10-17: McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (N581FE) — Federal Express - FedEx — Subic Bay, Olongapo (Cubi Point NAS), Philippines

Subic Bay, Olongapo (Cubi Point NAS), PhilippinesLanding (descent or approach)

On October 17, 1999, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 (registration N581FE) operated by Federal Express - FedEx was involved in an aviation accident near Subic Bay, Olongapo (Cubi Point NAS), Philippines during landing or approach. No fatalities were reported. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The failure of the flight crew to properly address an erroneous airspeed indication during descent and landing, their failure to verify and select the correct airspeed by checking the standby airspeed indicator, and their failure to execute a missed approach. This summary draws on records from the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A); 8 related events involving the same aircraft type or operator are linked below.

Sourcesthe Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives (B3A)Primary reportUpdated 1781204015Data APIEditorial standards

A cargo aircraft departing Shanghai-Hongqiao overran the wet runway at Subic Bay Airport and ended in the bay. Both pilots were injured; the aircraft was destroyed. The probable cause was crew errors in airspeed management during approach and landing.

Incident Overview

A cargo aircraft departed Shanghai-Hongqiao Airport at 2116 local time on a flight to Subic Bay, carrying electronics and garments. Weather conditions at Subic Bay Airport at the time of the incident included scattered clouds at 1,800 feet and 7,000 feet, light rain, calm wind, and visibility of six kilometers.

At 2315 local time, the aircraft landed on runway 07, which has a length of 2,400 meters. Due to the wet runway, the aircraft was unable to stop within the remaining distance, overran the runway, and plunged into Subic Bay. Both pilots sustained injuries, and the aircraft was totally destroyed.

Investigation Findings

Official investigation determined the probable cause of the incident to be the flight crew's failure to properly address an erroneous airspeed indication during descent and landing. The crew also failed to verify and select the correct airspeed by checking the standby airspeed indicator, and failed to execute a missed approach. These failures resulted in an excessive approach and landing speed, leading to the runway overshoot.

Contributing Factors

Contributing to the incident were clogged pitot tube drain holes, an insufficient alerting system for airspeed anomalies in the aircraft, and the failure of the SEL ELEV FEEL MAN and SEL FLAP LIM OVR D checklists to refer the crew to the standby airspeed indicator.