A plane failure isn’t what you usually think of when considering a partnership between a major aerospace company and a big transport firm. However, that’s precisely what occurred in May 2024, when a Boeing cargo plane operated by FedEx had to make an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport. The Boeing FedEx incident of 2024 involved an emergency landing because the pilots discovered that the front landing gear did not deploy. One of the most widely used cargo planes, the Boeing 767, landed without its front wheels, and the event was recorded by the airport’s CCTV.

Our experts at Business2Community are here to cover the details of the incident, supported by aircraft videos, interviews, and official social media posts.

Boeing FedEx Plane Crash – Key Facts

  • A Boeing 767 cargo plane operated by FedEx Airlines was scheduled to fly from Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport to Istanbul Airport on May 8, 2024.
  • Since its landing gear failed to open, the plane landed on its back wheels and fuselage with the help of the Istanbul Airport rescue and fire teams.
  • The Turkish Transport Ministry and the NTSB launched an investigation.

The Story of the Boeing FedEx Plane Crash

The Boeing FedEx plane crash happened in May 2024, when a Boeing 767 cargo plane, flying from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Istanbul Airport, was forced to land without its front landing gear. There were no injuries or fatalities reported, but this incident drew attention to the controversial aerospace company, Boeing.

Emergency Landing of the FedEx Boeing 767 Cargo Plane

On May 8, 2024, FedEx Express Flight 6268 made an emergency landing at Istanbul Airport. It used a Boeing 767, one of the most common cargo planes in operation, to fly from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Istanbul Airport.

The plane’s pilot contacted the Turkish traffic control tower to inform it that the plane’s landing gear failed to open. This was due to a hydraulic failure, which required the plane to touch the land with its back wheels.

In the video below, captured by the Istanbul Airport CCTV and distributed by Reuters, you can see how the plane landed on its nose:

Ozan Karakış, Airside Operation Director at Istanbul Airport, said the plane skidded on the runway for about 400 meters, or around 1,300 feet. The airport rescue and fire teams prepared the runway for the landing and helped evacuate the pilots from the aircraft.

FedEx Crash Response and Investigation

On the same day as the emergency landing, Istanbul Airport shared on X, formerly Twitter, that the airport rescue and fire teams had the situation under control. Following the landing, runway 16R was temporarily closed to air traffic to relocate the aircraft and safely resume flights.

A Turkish Transport Ministry official said the local authorities were investigating the accident.

On May 9, 2024, the US’s National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) announced it had sent a US-accredited representative and three other investigators to Istanbul to help Turkey’s Transportation and Infrastructure Ministry.

Turkey’s transport and infrastructure minister Abdulkadir Uraloğlu shared photos and videos of the plane being moved to a safe area, and the Istanbul Airport staff working on opening the runway.

Other FedEx Plane Crashes

FedEx experienced other crashes and accidents in the past, mainly involving McDonnell Douglas and Boeing aircraft. Boeing bought McDonnell Douglas in 1997 for $14 billion, which was a significant moment in the company’s history.

Here are some FedEx plane crashes that happened with McDonnell Douglas aircraft:

  • FedEx Express Flight 14 (1997): A cargo flight scheduled from Singapore Changi Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport, FedEx Express Flight 14 used McDonnell Douglas MD-11F aircraft. It made stops in Penang, Malaysia; Taipei, Taiwan; and Anchorage, Alaska, and had problems with auto brakes not activating during the landings. All five crew members escaped through the cockpit window before the aircraft was destroyed by fire.
  • FedEx Express Flight 87 (1999): On October 17, 1999, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 overran the runway upon landing at Subic Bay International Airport, the Philippines, from Shanghai-Hongqiao International Airport in China. The aircraft plunged into the bay and was completely submerged. The two crew members survived.
  • FedEx Express Flight 1478 (2002): A Boeing 727-232F crashed into trees while on final approach to Tallahassee Regional Airport in Florida. All three crew members survived, but the aircraft was heavily damaged. The NTSB published a report about the accident, attributing it to the flight crew’s inability to maintain the correct flight path. The NTSB published safety issues about decision-making, pilot fatigue, and the Federal Aviation Administration certification of pilots with color vision deficiencies.
  • FedEx Express Flight 647 (2003): Operating with Boeing MD-10-10F, FedEx Express Flight 647 experienced a hard landing, causing its right main landing gear to collapse. The plane veered off the runway and caught fire, but there were no fatalities.
  • FedEx Express Flight 80 (2009): Flying from Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in China to Narita International Airport in Japan, FedEx Express Flight 80 was a cargo plane using the McDonnell Douglas MD-11F. It made a hard landing at Narita Airport, with its nose gear touching the ground first. The plane also bounced and burst into flames, which caused the death of its two pilots, Kevin Kyle Mosley and Anthony Stephen Pino.
  • FedEx Express Flight 910 (2016): A McDonnell Douglas MD-10-10 experienced a left engine fire upon landing at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. The left gear collapsed during the fire, and the aircraft was written off. Both crew members survived.

The Consequences of the Boeing FedEx Plane Crash

The 2024 Boeing FedEx crash in Istanbul added to the ongoing Boeing controversies, which have caused the company to lose consumer trust and confidence. Before the crash happened, FedEx had already reduced orders for 767s from Boeing, from 50 to 43 – there has been no change in aircraft on order since this incident in May.

Other Boeing Controversies Resurface

Boeing has made the headlines for various plane crashes and engineering failures, including the fatal crashes of 2018 and 2019 in Indonesia and Ethiopia, and the 2024 Alaska Airlines scandal.

Both Boeing crashes were attributed to design and software faults in the aircraft, specifically issues with the Maneuvering Characteristics Augmentation System (MCAS). Combined, the 2018 and 2019 crashes led to the tragic loss of 346 lives and resulted in the global grounding of the 737 Max fleet.

As for the Alaska Airlines scandal, a Boeing 737 Max 9 operated by the airline had its door plug blow out mid-flight, raising questions about Boeing’s engineering and safety protocols.

According to a March 2024 Morning Consult survey, net trust for the Boeing Company dipped by 14 percentage points. The FedEx crash will likely not help in future surveys, as it added to the company’s ongoing trust issues and controversies.

Graph showing trust in Boeing after safety incidents

Turkish Transport Ministry and NTSB Investigation

As of 2024, the Turkish Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure’s Transportation Safety Investigation Center is still leading an investigation into the crash. The NTSB announced that it would send US representatives and investigators to Istanbul and that the Turkish authorities will share updates on the investigation.

What Can We Learn From the Boeing Fedex Plane Crash?

Boeing’s controversies aside, the crash highlighted the importance of crisis management. With well-trained staff, efficient airport rescue and firefighting units, and clear safety protocols, the plane’s crew safely evacuated the aircraft. Businesses in similar industries must make sure all stakeholders know what to do during a crisis and are properly trained.

Istanbul Airport remained transparent throughout the process, updating the public on social media. It has shared photos and videos of the aircraft along with an interview with airside operation director Ozan Karakış, that we shared above, who was directly involved in the emergency response. Companies can follow a similar strategy to build trust and share how they navigate through difficult situations.

At the time of writing, the investigation was still ongoing in Turkey.

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