NTSB preliminary report sheds light on FedEx plane crash

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF) – The NTSB has released a preliminary report on the FedEx plane that crash landed at the Chattanooga Airport on October 4th.

A FedEx plane on its way to Memphis experienced an emergency mid-air and had to return, crash landing along Runway 20.

Now, we know more about why the crew of three experienced that crash.

The FedEx plane that crash landed at the Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport late Wednesday night, October 4, 2023.

According to the preliminary report issued by the NTSB, they say that the crash occurred because of a failure with its left hydraulic system.

This picture provided by authorities highlights the main problem area.

In their post-crash inspection, transportation authorities found that a hose attaching to the left side landing gear was leaking hydraulic fluid. 

You can see the hoses above one of the plane’s wheels.

Inspectors say this hose was connected to the left main landing gear door’s actuator, which is the device that opens and closes the landing gear.

There were also issues with the wiring in that landing gear, as authorities say there was a discontinuity that may have prevented the landing gear from working properly.

Both of these parts have been taken by the NTSB for further examination.

In the sequence of events, authorities say the flight crew told them when they attempted to retract their landing gear after takeoff, an emergency message popped up on their flight dashboard.

This message told them that their gear would not retract into the plane.

While addressing that issue, another, more serious alert began to sound alerting the crew to a failure with the left hydraulic system.

They were able to get their landing gear retracted, but then because of the lack of hydraulic pressure, they were unable to reset that landing gear, leading to the crash landing.

Fortunately, no one on board that plane nor on the ground were seriously hurt.

The investigation by the NTSB is ongoing.