Mcdonnell Douglas MD-10-10F accident near Memphis, Tennessee, December 18, 2003
On December 18, 2003 at about 6:26 pm local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-10-10F, registered N364FE, was destroyed in an accident near Memphis, Tennessee (Memphis Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 2 people had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
1) the first officer's failure to properly apply crosswind landing techniques to align the airplane with the runway centerline and to properly arrest the airplane's descent rate (flare) before the airplane touched down; and 2) the captain's failure to adequately monitor the first officer's performance and command or initiate corrective action during the final approach and landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 18, 2003 · about 6:26 pm local time
- Place
- Memphis, Tennessee · Memphis Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries; 5 others were unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-10-10F · all MD-10-10Fs on the register
- Registration
- N364FE · no longer on the register
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/publictn/publictn.htm. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-05/01. On December 18, 2003, about 1226 central standard time, Federal Express Corporation (FedEx) flight 647, a Boeing MD-10-10F (MD-10), N364FE, crashed while landing at Memphis International Airport (MEM), Memphis, Tennessee. The right main landing gear collapsed after touchdown on runway 36R, and the airplane veered off the right side of the runway. After the gear collapsed, a fire developed on the right side of the airplane. Of the two flight crewmembers and five nonrevenue FedEx pilots on board the airplane, the first officer and one nonrevenue pilot received minor injuries during the evacuation. The postcrash fire destroyed the airplane's right wing and portions of the right side of the fuselage. Flight 647 departed from Metropolitan Oakland International Airport (OAK), Oakland, California, about 0832 (0632 Pacific standard time) and was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot (unmanned)
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,802 hours in all; 2,674 in this make and model; 123 in the last 90 days; 34 in the last 30 days; 2,602 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: December 8, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 3,014 hours in all; 1,918 in this make and model; 61 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: November 20, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 65,375 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, May 30, 2003; 584 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 440,000 lb
- Seats: 11
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: General Electric CF6-6D (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: OAK Oakland CA at 3:01 pm
- Destination: MEM Memphis TN
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 36R, 9,320 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 320° at 21 knots, gusting 26
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 4,500 ft; clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 30°F (-1°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 6:25 pm from MEM, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 1 | ||
| Passengers | 1 | 4 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA04MA011.