Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F accident near Newark, New Jersey, October 5, 1999
On October 5, 1999 at about 9:40 am local time, a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F, registered N606FE, was substantially damaged in an accident near Newark, New Jersey (Newark International airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A divergent, longitudinal oscillation of undetermined origin on the center landing gear, which caused a failure of the center landing gear lower drag brace during landing roll.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 5, 1999 · about 9:40 am local time
- Place
- Newark, New Jersey · Newark International
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11F · all MD-11Fs on the register
- Registration
- N606FE · registry record · serial 48602
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the landing roll, the center landing gear (CLG) on the MD-11 failed in a rearward direction. The lugs on the upper attach point of the lower drag brace on the CLG failed, the landing gear retraction cylinder was pulled apart, and hydraulic fluid was lost in the #3 hydraulic system. Metallurgical examination of the failed lug found evidence of overload. The DFDR recorded a momentary peak in vertical and longitudinal accelerations, about 5.75 seconds after main landing gear touchdown, and 2.5 seconds after nose wheel touchdown. The vertical acceleration momentarily reduced, and the longitudinal acceleration momentarily increased. According to McDonnell-Douglas, the CLG was capable of entering a divergent, longitudinal oscillation, which could fail the lower drag brace lugs. There were five prior documented events that were identical. After the first three events, McDonnell-Douglas duplicated it twice again, using instrumented airplanes. They subsequently issued a service bulletin for modifications to the CLG brakes and anti-skid system. The accident airplane had these modifications. Additional testing by the operator to determine the loads on the CLG during landing did not find any high loads, and the cause of the CLG oscillation was not determined.
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; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 12,000 hours in all; 4,621 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 22,055 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, September 27, 1999; 34 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 633,000 lb
- Seats: 5
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ge CF6-80C2 (turbofan); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: IND Indianapolis IN at 8:24 am
- Destination: EWR
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 4R, 9,980 ft by 150 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Wind: from 010° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,500 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 48°F (9°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 9:50 am from EWR
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
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.