Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 accident near Newark, New Jersey, July 31, 1997
On July 31, 1997 at about 5:31 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11, registered N611FE, was destroyed in an accident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International Airp airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). 5 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain's overcontrol of the airplane during the landing and his failure to execute a go-around from a destabilized flare. Contributing to the accident was the captain's concern with touching down early to ensure adequate stopping distance.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 31, 1997 · about 5:31 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International Airp
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 5 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11 · all MD-11s on the register
- Registration
- N611FE · no longer on the register · serial 48604
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
On July 31, 1997, at 0130 edt, Federal Express cargo flight 14, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, N611FE, crashed while landing on runway 22R at Newark IAP, Newark, NJ. The airplane experienced a hard landing, bounced, and the right main landing gear collapsed on the second touchdown. A fire broke out after the airplane came to a stop and destroyed the airplane. VFR conditions prevailed at the time, and the two pilots and three other company personnel received minor injuries. The flight originated at Anchorage, AK, and was on an IFR 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
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 11,000 hours in all; 1,253 in this make and model; 155 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 11, 1997
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,111 hours in all; 96 in the last 90 days; 57 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 13,034 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, July 18, 1997; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 625,550 lb
- Seats: 0
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80-C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
- Operator: Federal Express, INC.
The flight
- Departed from: ANC Anchorage AK
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 22R, 8,200 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 270° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: not recorded; scat at 8,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Observation at 5:28 am from EWR, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 5 |
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.
Other NTSB records under N611FE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
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.