|
McDonnell Douglas DC-10 (N306FE)
* * A very sincere Thank You to FA member James Simms for reminding me (in a comment under one of my previous posts) about this most historic DC-10. James, thanks to you, I was able to track this amazing aircraft and get this capture of it just a few days ago. Although it will soon be sent to the graveyard, I have snaps of it thanks to you. Very much appreciated. (High Five and a Thumbs Up) * *
N306FE, Fed Ex's "John" and the DC-10 that holds records that no DC-10 was ever designed to set, is clicked here just at sundown on a cloudy evening over northern Nevada as it completes its s/final approach to RTIA at the end of the first half of a KMEM-KRNO-KMEM roundtrip flight. This DC-10 is scheduled to be WFU within the next months.
To view this shot at best Q, I recommend clicking on FULL.
Comments
During an attempted hijack (April, 1994), a Fed Ex employee who was hitching a ride to San Jose snuck several claw hammers and a speargun aboard. He had been fired by Fed Ex, but his ID had not been turned in and the three crewmen did not know he had been terminated. His intention was to murder the crew, take over the aircraft, and crash it into the Fed Ex HQ building in Memphis. Shortly after takeoff, he attacked the pilot, copilot, and FE. All three members of the crew were brutally assaulted with hammerblows to their skulls. Bleeding profusely from severe head and brain injuries, two of the critically-injured men struggled with the attacker, who continued attempting to hammer them all to death. One pilot remained at the controls. His brain injuries had rendered one arm useless, and he could barely see. He was the only person still strapped in, and as the attacker fought with the other two critically-injured crewmen, the lone pilot put this DC-10 thru maneuvers that no DC-10 was ever designed to undergo. That amazing pilot (only able to use one arm because the attack to his head had left his other arm immoveable) brought this DC-10 back to Memphis.
During those moments, this DC-10 ...
1) performed a barrel roll while travelling over 400 MPH,
2) then, at around 20,000 feet, flew inverted,
3) then went into a vertical dive that exceeded 500 MPH and which was so severe the instruments "pegged" at their max readings and from that moment on could no longer register the DC-10's actual speed,
4) pulled out of the dive like a fighter jet despite being fully loaded with cargo and with a full fuel load, and then
5) landed back at KMEM with major structural damage and a full load of fuel and cargo that far, far exceeded the maximum landing weight limits of a DC-10.
And this plane stayed together thru all of that.
None of the three crewmen died; however, none were ever able to fly again due to their permanent injuries. The three crewmen thwarted the hijacker's intention to murder them and many people in the Fed Ex building.
This old warrior DC-10 is still flying. No DC-10 will ever come anywhere close to handling the abuse this one endured and still remain in the air. Even Douglas engineers were stunned at the maneuvers this one performed without self-destructing.
Not long ago, FA member James Simms reminded me that it was N306FE that had been the DC-10 involved in that horrific crime. I had to track its schedule for quite a while, but I finally caught this shot of it just the other day. I am pleased to have a pic of the a/c that stayed together and brought back three heroic professional FDX crewmen and also brought a criminal back to face trial and be convicted. TYVM for the reminder, James.
REGISTRO ATTIVITA'
Desideri una ricerca completa dello storico di N306FE dal 1998? Acquista adesso. Lo riceverai entro un'ora
|
Data | Aeromobile | Origine | Destinazione | Partenza | Arrivo | Durata |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
No Recent History Data | ||||||
Gli utenti con account di base (registrarsi è gratis e facile!) vedono storico di 3 months Registrati |
Please log in or register to post a comment.