McDonnell Douglas MD-11 PPSPE
23 January 1996 · Miami, Florida, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 23 January 1996 at about 23:10 local time, a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 registered PPSPE, operated by Viacao Aerea SAO Paulo SA, was involved in an accident near Miami, Florida, United States. 459 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 23:10
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Miami, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Miami International (MIA)
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- McDonnell Douglas MD-11
- Registration
- PPSPE
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 3
- Operator
- Viacao Aerea SAO Paulo SA
- Operating rule
- Part 129: Foreign
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Sao Paulo → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Dusk
- NTSB number
- MIA96FA068
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 459 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 459 |
Probable cause
The local and ground controllers' failure to adequately coordinate the movement of the two airplanes, the tower cab supervisor's failure to provide adequate supervision to the controllers, the MD-11 flightcrew's misinterpretation of the local controller's question about whether they could make a right turn onto another taxiway as a clearance, and the MD-11 flightcrew's failure to ensure that their aircraft could clear the B-747.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The ground controller (GC) had coordinated with the local controller (LC) and had cleared the B-747 across RWY 12 on taxiway V. The MD-11 had landed on RWY 9R and was in contact with the LC while holding short of RWY 12 at taxiways V and S. The flightcrew of the B-747 reported to the GC that the MD-11 was in the way on the opposite side of the runway. The GC did not acknowledge this and again cleared the B-747 across the rwy. The B-747 crossed the runway and stopped short of the MD-11. The tail of B-747 was still over the edge of RWY 12. The LC asked the MD-11 if they could make a right turn onto taxiway S. The flightcrew of the MD-11 acknowledged this as a clearance and began a right turn. The captain of the B-747 saw the MD-11 begin to move and transmitted on the ground control frequency for the pilot to stop. The MD-11 was on the local control frequency. The captain of the MD-11 pulled the aircraft to the far right side of the taxiway and the right main landing gear collided with 2 taxiway lights. The left wingtip of the MD-11 struck the nose of the B-747. As this occurred the GC asked the B-747 to pull up because the tail was obstructing RWY 12 and there was traffic landing. As the B-747 pulled forward, the left wingtip of the MD-11 collided with the left wing of the B-747. The landing traffic had included a 'heavy' aircraft which had landed while the B-747 was not completely clear of the runway (all parts of the airplane had not crossed the holding line).
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Aircraft involved
| Aircraft | Registration | Operator | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|
| McDonnell Douglas MD-11 MD-11 | PPSPE | Viacao Aerea SAO Paulo SA | Substantial |
| Boeing 747-243B 747-243B | IDEML | - | Substantial |
Other McDonnell Douglas MD-11 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 Nov 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | Dayton, Ohio, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Nov 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | Buenos Aires, Argentina | World Airways | No injuries | - |
| 25 May 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | Los Angeles, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 14 Jul 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | Westerly, Rhode Island, United States | American Airlines | Serious injuries | - |
| 16 May 1996 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11-F | Anchorage, Alaska, United States | Federal Express | Minor injuries | - |
| 24 Oct 1997 | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 | Montevideo, Uruguay | - | Unknown | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150M | Ormond Beach, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 17 Mar 1996 | Cessna 152 | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Robinson R-22-BETA | Bunnell, Florida, United States | International Helicopter Acad. | No injuries | - |
| 24 Mar 1996 | Cessna 150F | Ocala, Florida, United States | TOM McGhee Aircraft | No injuries | - |
| 22 Mar 1996 | Cessna 172N | New Smyrna Bch, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 26 Mar 1996 | Enstrom F-28C | Defuniak Spring, Florida, United States | Robert D. Duda | Minor injuries | - |