FedEx 757 lands without landing gear down

FEDEX McDONNELL DOUGLAS MD 11 N522FE (MSN 48476)

A FedEx Boeing 757-200 freighter performing flight FX1376 between Chattanooga (CHA/KCHA) and the airline's hub at Memphis (MEM/KMEM) has been damaged after performing an emergency landing due to technical issues. The incident unfolded on late on Wednesday night the 4th of October.

Flight 1376 departed Chattanooga at 22:23 hrs. following a routine takeoff from runway 20 at the city's Lovell Field Metropolitan airport. After departure, the crew noticed a technical issue with the aircraft. The crew subsequently leveled off at 5,000ft (1,500m) while the crew worked through checklists.

Approximately 15 minutes later, the crew advised air traffic controllers that they would need to return to the airport but required further time to complete their checks. At this point, the crew hadn't declared an
emergency. After a further five minutes, the crew advised that they required additional time to lower the flaps to prepare for the landing, following which they would be ready to make their approach.

A further four minutes passed before the crew advised that they were experiencing flight control issues but that no further assistance was required at that point. During the aircraft's first approach, the crew then advised that they had received an unsafe gear warning on the flight deck and advised that they would be unable to vacate the runway after landing. The crew stated they were unsure as to the exact status of the landing gear and declared an emergency.

Following the crew upgrading the situation to an emergency, they requested a low approach to have the airport staff check whether the gear was in the down position.

After performing a low approach along the runway, ground staff and air traffic controllers reported to the crew of Flight 1376 that no main landing gear was visible from the ground.
After circling for an hour and twenty-three minutes it was come to come in. The flight crew subsequently advised that they would stop on the runway and immediately evacuate the aircraft, which had about an hour of fuel remaining.

The aircraft touched down and slid along the runway.
Once stopped, the crew successfully evacuated with no injuries.

Aircraft Information:

Airline: Federal Express 

Code: FX/FDX

Aircraft: Boeing 757-236 

Registration: N977FD

Serial Number: 24118

Engines: 2 x RR RB211-535

First Flew: 01/01/1988

Age: 35.8 Years