Accident McDonnell Douglas MD-11F N611FE,

Date:	Friday 4 November 1994
Time:	11:25
Type:	McDonnell Douglas MD-11F
Owner/operator:	FedEx
Registration:	N611FE
MSN:	48604/553
Year of manufacture:	1993
Total airframe hrs:	3974 hours
Engine model:	General Electric CF6-80C2D1F
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	Anchorage International Airport, AK (ANC) - United States of America
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Osaka-Kansai International Airport (KIX/RJBB)
Destination airport:	Anchorage International Airport, AK (ANC/PANC)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
A McDonnell Douglas, MD-11F airplane, N611FE, operating as Federal Express flight number 016, experienced a hard landing at Anchorage International Airport while landing on runway 6R. The airplane landed hard and bounced. The tail struck the runway's surface. The airplane was substantially damaged. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.
According to the crew, they were following a Japan Air Lines Boeing 747, which preceded them by an estimated 3 miles. The Federal Express crew was cleared for a visual approach to runway 6R and they used the ILS course for guidance. The captain stated that the airplane flew through a little bit of turbulence when crossing the shoreline but it was nothing unusual. At 50 feet above the ground everything looked normal, but at 20 feet the captain stated he perceived an increase in the airplane's sink rate. He and the first officer (the flying pilot) both pulled the yoke back. The airplane hit the runway and bounced upward. The nose of the airplane began to pitch up and the crew pushed the yoke forward. The tail then struck the ground. The nose began to respond, and they landed normally.

The airplane received substantial damage. Approximately 32 feet of lower fuselage skin on the underside of the tail section was scraped and dented. There were small puncture/scrape holes in the skin. The aft pressure bulkhead and supporting steel structures were crushed and bent. The VHF antenna, located on the underside of the tail section, was sheared off.

PROBABLE CAUSE: "The flight crew's improper recovery from a bounced landing. Factors associated with the accident are the first officer's lack of familiarity with the airplane, his failure to stabilize the approach, and the captain's delayed remedial action."

Accident investigation: