FedEx Express Flight 087

On 17 October 1999, FedEx Express Flight 087, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11F, crashed after landing at Subic Bay International Airport. The aircraft was operating from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. Upon landing, the aircraft rolled down the whole length of the runway before plunging into the Subic Bay where it was mostly submerged. Both pilots survived with minor injuries. The aircraft was written off.

The cause of the accident was the pilots failing to respond to false airspeed indications and not selecting the correct airspeed indications. Contributing factors were clogged pitot drain holes and excessive landing speed.

Accident

The Subic Special Economic and Freeport Zone was formerly the site of the Subic Naval Base, and a small airport was one of FedEx's hubs.

The aircraft was fully loaded with cargo, and it mostly consisted of electronic goods and garments.

At around 13:00 UTC, the aircraft took off from Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport. At 37,000 ft, the aircraft encountered moderate turbulence, 43 minutes before landing. At 3:24 p.m., the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) heard the captain's message "airspeed returned, there is no problem. I've got no speed problem." At 3:32 p.m., the CVR recorded the pilots again discussing airspeed. One minute later, the overspeed warning and the autopilot disengagement alarm were activated. At 3:53 p.m., the captain instructed the first officer to set the flaps to 50 degrees, and the first officer moved the flap levers to the 50-degree position. However, the flaps did not extend to 50 degrees, so the first officer moved the flap levers back to the 35-degree position. At 3:54 p.m., at an altitude of 500 ft, the rate of descent warning and the ground proximity warning system (GPWS) were activated. At 15:55:04, the aircraft landed on runway 07 at Subic Bay International Airport. The aircraft did not stop on the runway but came into contact with the localizer antenna and the approach lights. The aircraft plunged into the Subic Bay, became mostly submerged, and broke apart. The nose of the aircraft broke away and the cargo fell out of the hold. The wing and nose of the aircraft were damaged. The aircraft sank 32 ft from the airport's shoreline. The aircraft had hit a concrete post and wire fence.

The pilots escaped through the cockpit windows and waited for rescue on the wing. The pilots suffered minor injuries. The pilots were later treated at Legenda Hospital in Cubi Point. FedEx later released a statement saying it was "thankful" that the crew was safe. The aircraft was leaking fuel into the water, which prompted airport authorities to surround the aircraft with a boom to prevent fuel from spreading. Most of the cargo was destroyed. The aircraft was destroyed and written off.