Santiago (1020646)

FedEx MD-11F loses nose-wheel on take-off 

Investigators are probing the loss of a nose-wheel from a FedEx Boeing MD-11F, apparently during departure from San Antonio.

The aircraft (N619FE) had been operating the FX464 service to Memphis on 7 April.It landed on runway 18C at about 08:50 but the US FAA, in a preliminary notification, states that the aircraft “lost right nose-gear on departure”.

The notification adds that the trijet sustained “substantial” damage, although it does not clarify whether this extended beyond that to the nose-wheel assembly.None of the three crew members, the only occupants, was injured.

Cirium fleets data lists N619FE as a 1996 airframe, powered by General Electric CF6 engines, which was originally delivered as a new freighter to FedEx.While investigators are yet to detail the circumstances of the FedEx incident, inquiries into the loss of a nose-wheel from a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F at Buenos Aires in November 2016 found a fixing pin had been omitted during maintenance.

https://www.flightglobal.com/safety/fedex-md-11f-loses-nose-wheel-on-take-off/137829.article