Mcdonnell Douglas MD11 accident near Denver, Colorado, January 25, 2013
On January 25, 2013 at about 11:30 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD11, registered N618FE, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Denver, Colorado (Denver International airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the flight crews failure to perform a takeoff performance data briefing following the final entries into the Flight Management System, which would have alerted them to the incorrect weight entry and resulting incorrect landing speeds. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the flight crew to recognize and respond to various visual cues indicating the airplane's airspeed was too slow, resulting in a higher than normal pitch during landing and the tail of the airplane striking the runway.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 25, 2013 · about 11:30 am local time
- Place
- Denver, Colorado · Denver International · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 3 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD11 F · all MD11s on the register
- Registration
- N618FE · registry record · serial 48754
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On January 25, 2013, at approximately 0457 mountain standard time, FedEx Express flight 1420, a Boeing MD-11F, N618FE, experienced a tail strike during landing on runway 17 at Denver International Airport (KDEN), Denver, Colorado. There were no injuries to the 3 flight crew, and the airplane sustained substantial damages. The flight was operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a regularly scheduled passenger flight from Memphis International Airport (KMEM), Memphis, Tennessee, to Denver, Colorado. According to the flightcrew and a review of dispatch records, during the preflight while in Memphis, after receiving multiple weight and balance (W&B) messages, the captain had erroneously entered an airplane zero fuel weight (ZFW) that was 100,000 lbs. less than the actual ZFW when the first officer was out of the cockpit. After the captain made the incorrect ZFW entry, the flight crew did not perform another takeoff performance data briefing, and therefore did not recognize the captain's entry error that resulted in incorrect landing speeds calculated by the flight management software for the flight. During the approach, the flight crew did not notice indications that the target landing airspeed was too low, such as the Angle of Attack (AOA) indicator in the captains Heads Up Display (HUD) that was outside of the speed reference band, and the pitch of the airplane, which was about 7-8 degrees airplane nose up, whereas the normal airplane pitch on approach was 4-6 degrees pitch. The first officer also stated that during the approach he noticed that his airspeed indication had an amber box surrounding it, which is an indication that the airspeed had reached Vmin and was approaching a stall condition. During the flare and landing, the tail of the airplane struck the surface of the runway. The aircraft taxied normally to the cargo ramp, and an inspection revealed substantial damage to the skin, stringers, beams, APU compartment bulkhead, and aft pressure bulkhead of the airplane.
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
- Tailstrike during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Forgotten action/omission › Flight crew
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Info processing/decision › Identification/recognition › Flight crew
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 18,340 hours in all; 3,101 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 2, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,930 hours in all; 2,407 in this make and model
- Last flight review: October 28, 2012
- Medical certificate: Class 1
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 57,148 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, January 14, 2013
- Maximum gross weight: 630,500 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 1: General Electric CF6-80C2D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 2: General Electric CF6-80C2D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Engine 3: General Electric CF6-80C2D1F (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Operator: Federal Express CORP
The flight
- Departed from: KMEM Memphis TN at 9:48 am
- Destination: KDEN Denver CO
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 17R, 12,000 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Wind: from 160° at 13 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 10,000 ft
- Temperature: 30°F (-1°C), dew point 21°F (-6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from DEN
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 3 |
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.