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Accidents · NTSB DCA11WA021 · Preliminary: the investigation is not finished

Mcdonnell Douglas MD incident near Paris, Fr, January 12, 2011

On January 12, 2011, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD was involved in an incident during approach near Paris (Orly International Airport). It was flown under non-U.S. commercial rules. The NTSB record does not give the injuries.

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this incident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
January 12, 2011
Place
Paris, France · Orly International Airport
Type
Incident
Injuries
The NTSB record does not give the injuries.
Weather
not recorded
Aircraft
Mcdonnell Douglas MD 83
Registration
not recorded
Damage
Not recorded
Flight
Flight · non-U.S. commercial rules

The NTSB's narrative preliminary · quoted from the NTSB record

On January 12, 2011, an Air Burkina Boeing MD-83 experienced near fuel exhaustion while attempting to land at Orly International Airport, Paris, France. During the ferry flight with landing gear down the flight crew determined that it did not have enough fuel to proceed to its destination and decided to return to Orly. Air traffic controllers directed the flight to go around due to poor geographic positioning of the airplane for landing. The flight landed uneventfully on the second approach with weather conditions below minimums. The Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation Civile (BEA) of France is investigating the event. The NTSB has appointed a U.S. Accredited Representative as the state of design and manufacture of the airplane. All inquiries concerning this investigation should be directed to the BEA at: Bureau d’Enquêtes et d’Analyses pour la Sécurité de l’Aviation civile Bâtiment 153 Aéroport du Bourget 93350 Le Bourget France Website: http://www.bea-fr.org

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

What happened, in order

  1. Fuel related during approach defining event

The aircraft

  • Landing gear: retractable
  • Operator: Air Burkina

The flight

  • Departed from: Paris
  • Flight plan: not recorded
  • A second pilot was aboard

Weather at the time

  • Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)

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.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.