FedEx Plane Forced to Land Due to Leaking Hydraulic Fluid, NTSB Reports
Fault in alternate landing gear system wiring also found; crew evacuated safely after overshoot of 830 feet beyond runway.
- The FedEx plane, a Boeing 757, was forced to make an emergency landing in Chattanooga, Tennessee due to leaking hydraulic fluid from a hose in the landing gear system.
- The pilots received a warning about low fluid level and a lack of pressure in one of the hydraulic systems after taking off, and decided to return to the airport.
- Upon receiving an alert about the landing gear, the pilots declared an emergency and conducted a low fly-by allowing the airport tower to confirm the left landing gear was not fully extended.
- Despite landing with the crippled gear, the pilots were able to keep the plane straight but could not stop until 830 feet beyond the end of the runway; all three crew members evacuated safely using a slide.
- Alongside the hydraulic leak, investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) also discovered a discontinuity in the wiring of an alternate system for lowering the landing gear.