Aircraft Accident Report
In-Flight Fire/Emergency Landing
Federal Express Flight 1406
Douglas DC-10-10, N68055
Newburgh, New York
September 5, 1996

NTSB Number AAR-98/03
NTIS Number PB98-910403
PDF Document (1.2M)

Synopsis:About 0554 eastern daylight time, on September 5, 1996, a Douglas DC-10-10CF, N68055, operated by the Federal Express Corporation as flight 1406, made an emergency landing at Stewart International Airport, Newburgh, New York, after the flightcrew determined that there was smoke in the cabin cargo compartment. The flight was operating under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 121 as a cargo flight from Memphis, Tennessee, to Boston, Massachusetts. Three crewmembers and two nonrevenue passengers were aboard the airplane. The captain and flight engineer sustained minor injuries while evacuating the airplane. The airplane was destroyed by fire after the landing.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was an in-flight cargo fire of undetermined origin.

Safety issues discussed in this report include flightcrew performance of emergency procedures, undeclared hazardous materials in transportation, dissemination of hazardous materials information, airport emergency response, and adequacy of aircraft interior firefighting methods. Safety recommendations concerning these issues were made to the Federal Aviation Administration, the Department of Transportation, and the Research and Special Programs Administration.