Normal FedEx Approach??
 

Is this common?

You bet, part of our fuel sense program. Raising the gear handle as you start the roll gets you cleaner quicker too. ;)

What was abnormal about it? I see a stabilized aircraft at 1001 feet.

What was the last name of the guy who wrote "The Count of Monte Cristo"?...

It's VMC, so make that 501 feet AGL ;).

Real men get three green in the flare. He was WAY early!

about 15 seconds from main gear doors closed to spin up...not too bad. I do not fly the MD but doesn't the GPWS start bugging you about 1200 AGL ?

Lot of eyes out there in the modern world. Makes you reconsider what non-sole source is.

Not whining about it, but aren't turbine & large a/c supposed to be configured by 1500agl?

Usually configured and stable on-speed by 1000 ft IFR, and by 500 ft VFR....

no, not required. I think you may be remembering FAR 91 rules for ops into class D for large turbine a/c. (1500 pattern entry, use of G/S etc). Practically though, the large majority of approaches are configured (especially gear) well above 1000'.

He was probably waiting for the Ground Prox to start yelling, "Too low, gear!"

Gear needs to be down and locked early enough to get the flaps to their final setting prior to 500'. In the particular flight, the tail number is easy to see, and it won't take someone 5 minutes to pull up the line of flight and figure out who the crew was. This moves it from a FOQA event (where it would have been flagged, but protected) to non-sole source. There need to be a couple of ASAPs filed here.

Too late now. Hopefully they've already done that.

guessing they received a call from the ALPA Gatekeeper on this one and maybe they were encouraged to submit and ASAP if they had not already done so. Let's hope so, because as others have said big brother is watching and figuring out who's on first is JV level work. Going around is not a failure of the mission.

very interesting ... I'm sure there was some kind of warning either due to flap position or altitude and no gear going off for a large part of that video.

Not being familiar with the MD-10/11, how far can you have the flaps out before it starts to scream at you about the gear? In the ERJ, we can have up to Flaps 22 out (Flaps 45 is the final setting) with the gear up. However, the GPWS starts bugging us at 1200' RA...and in typical Embraer fashion, it's not subtle either.

Simple math problem?
 

Here's the way I see it ...

(yes, it's possible I have too much time on my hands and I'm bored?)

According to the clock at the bottom of the video ...

:13 seconds - gear starts down
:52 seconds - tire smoke (runway contact)

If we assume 140KIAS (typical DC-10 landing speed), that equals 236 feet/sec (no wind).

236fps x 39 seconds = 9204'

9204' / 5280 feet per mile = 1.74 miles

1.74 miles x 300 feet per mile (typical 3 degree approach) = 523'

I would call that a typical (IAW SOP) visual approach :D

Now ... what was the OP's question?

MM

only one problem with your rithmatic...

you start the clock when the gear "starts" down...gear doors not closed until about 15 seconds to touchdown and in my jet "gear down" is not complete until the doors lights are out. Not too mention they cant put final flaps in until the gear is down unless they don't mind more chatter on the EGPWS.

... which means they got three green and door lights out at approximately 200'. It's always interesting that people are planning to be stable if VMC at 500' vs always shooting for 1,000'. The difference (for a 757) between being stable at 1K and at 500' with a VERY low app speed is only 15 seconds. Just shoot for 1K all the time knowing you have the ability to go lower if needed in VMC. Or don't and become a FOQA story, just remember to fill out the ASAP report.

Exactly, people make this job too hard.

Still time for an ASRS, unless the video is a week older than the posted date...

Much simpler math:
VVI is less than 1000fpm on short final, by def of stable
Best case - gear STARTS down at 650 ft
More likely: 800 fpm and 35 seconds allowing for some flair -
gear STARTS down at 460 ft.....

Video say it was in October so well past the 10 day NASA limit for immunity. It also has to be "inadvertent" not sure this would comply? There may not have been and actual FAR violation but certainly an FOM/CFM issue.

No time limit for sole source. Makes sense if you think about it.

Obviously, this isn't sole source and it's not Big Brother anymore. It's your annoying little sister with an iPhone or GoPro.

By the time a Gatekeeper would see something, you are probably out of the ASAP window for non-sole source.

"While planespotting outside Chicago O'Hare International Airport ( KORD / ORD ) with OHAREAVIATION, we both caught this slightly off-putting sight of a Boeing MD-10-10F, registration number N559FE ( cn 46930 / 112 ) on final approach for Runway 28 with its gear up just short of the airport!"


That must be a very rare type rating.

"Forgot" is inadvertent. "Lets save some fuel and the gear down at 600'" is not.

Go on? I would like to hear more about this.


And... I'll echo the sentiment of others that I hope ASAPs were filed.

I'm not sure what is rare. I believe FedEx has converted their DC-10s to MD-10 to make it a 2 man airplane and common type with the MD-11.

MD-10 Program

No, officially it's now a Boeing, as is the MD-11

Now that's funny. :D

What?
 

I don't get it........:D

Only as rare as the MD-11, there is not a "MD-10" type rating, just another variant under the existing FAA MD-11 type. Any MD-11 pilot just needs a short differences course and you are good to go.

I know it's blasphemy to talk like this, but I think in most of our hull losses, the aircraft was stable and configured all the way down to 50' or so.

These guys boogered up the approach, but they made a nice touchdown. Hope that's kept in mind.

Maybe they went to the same school as these guys...

Space Shuttle Landing - YouTube

One word - FOQA

Actually that is an acronym for four words.
(Sorry could not resist)

You're too smart to be a Marine. ;)

Not sure what you are getting at. FOQA will find this, but it will be de-identified except to the Gatekeeper, if he chooses to contact the crew.

The inherent delay in analyzing all of the events as well as the fact that data isn't downloaded real time for many of the fleets, means that a FOQA contact isn't a reliable indication that a crew needs to file an ASAP report. In any case, that's not what FOQA is for.

FOQA is about how the overall airline is doing. ASAP is about the crew and the protection afforded to them.

AC 120-08 1/20/11 of course it is just an advisory

a. Stabilized Approaches. A stabilized approach is a key feature to a safe approach and landing. Operators are encouraged by the FAA and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) to use the stabilized approach concept to help eliminate CFIT. The stabilized approach concept is characterized by maintaining a stable approach speed, descent rate, vertical flightpath, and configuration to the landing touchdown point. Depart the FAF configured for landing and on the proper approach speed, power setting, and flightpath before descending below the minimum stabilized approach height; e.g., 1,000 feet above the airport elevation and at a rate of descent no greater than 1,000 feet per minute (fpm), unless specifically briefed. (See AC 120-71.)