UPS Airlines Flight 1354

UPS Airlines Flight 1354 was a scheduled cargo flight from Louisville, Kentucky, to Birmingham, Alabama. On August 14, 2013, the Airbus A300 flying the route crashed and burst into flames short of the runway on approach to Birmingham–Shuttlesworth International Airport. Both pilots were pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. They were the only people aboard the aircraft. It was the second fatal air crash for UPS Airlines.

Accident

The aircraft was inbound on a scheduled flight at the time of the crash. Dark night visual flight rules prevailed at the airport, but variable instrument meteorological conditions with a variable ceiling were present north of the airport on the approach course.

A notice to airmen (NOTAM), in effect at the time of the accident, indicated that runway 06/24, the longest runway available at the airport and the only one with an ILS approach, would be closed from 04:00 to 05:00 CDT. Because the flight was scheduled to arrive at Birmingham at 04:51, only the shorter runway 18 with a non-precision approach was available to the pilots.

Forecasted weather at BHM indicated that the low ceilings upon arrival required an alternate airport, but the dispatcher did not discuss the low ceilings, the single-approach option to the airport, or the reopening of runway 06/24 about 05:00 with the flight crew. Further, during the flight, information about variable ceilings at the airport was not provided to the flight crew.

At 04:21:28, the cockpit voice recorder recorded the first officer stating, "they're sayin' six and two-four is closed. They're doin' the localizer to one eight," after the flight crew listened to BHM automatic terminal information service (ATIS) Papa, which included the 06/24 runway closure. The captain responded, "localizer (to) one eight, it figures." Between 04:23 and 04:30, the captain briefed the localizer runway 18 approach using the UPS Profile Briefing Guide from the UPS Aircraft Operating Manual (AFM). The captain then continued to review the localizer 18 approach chart. At no point did the captain or first officer mention that the localizer approach was not available.

At 04:33:33, air traffic control cleared the flight to descend to 11000 ft mean sea level (msl), and the captain commented, "They're generous today. Usually they kind'a take you to fifteen and they hold you up high." At 04:41:44, while flying level at 11,000 feet msl, the first officer contacted BHM approach control advising ATIS information and requesting a lower altitude. The BHM approach controller issued a descent clearance to 3000 ft and said, "uhm...runway six is still closed. you want...the localizer one eight?" The flight crew accepted the localizer 18 approach.

At 04:47:10.9, as the airplane passed the IMTOY stepdown fix near the minimum crossing altitude of 1380 ft msl, the captain said "two miles". However the airplane continued to descend at 1500 ft/min and passed through and continued below the desired glidepath. As the airplane approached and then descended through the minimum descent altitude of 1200 ft msl, neither pilot made the required callouts regarding approaching and reaching the minimum descent altitude. At 04:47:19.6 the first officer said, "it wouldn't happen to be actual [chuckle]."

At an altitude of about 1000 ft msl, about 250 ft above ground level, an enhanced ground proximity warning system (EGPWS) sink rate caution alert was triggered. About 1 second later, the captain began to reduce the selected vertical speed to about 600 ft/min. The captain reported the runway in sight about 3.5 seconds after the sink rate caution alert, and the first officer then confirmed that she also had the runway in sight. About 2 seconds after reporting the runway in sight, the captain further reduced the selected vertical speed to 400 ft/min. At 04:47:31.5, the captain disconnected the autopilot, and a second later, the cockpit voice recorder recorded the sound of rustling, corresponding to the airplane's first contact with trees. The recorder then recorded an EGPWS "too low terrain" caution alert and several additional impact noises until the recording ended.

The aircraft crashed around 04:47 local time (CDT, 09:47 UTC). It clipped trees and struck ground three times uphill. The fuselage broke apart, with the nose coming to rest about 200 yd away from the initial point of impact, and the rest of it about 80 yd farther down towards the runway and about 1 km from its edge and catching fire. Both crew members died in the accident.