FedEx plane (MD-11) crashes in Tokyo - dramatic video

[Carnos Jax]

As if the breaking news of the 17 killed in the Montana plane crash isn't enough...

The FedEx crash is being attributed to crazy winds. Challenging wind conditions (such as severe fluctuating crosswinds) cause dramatic approaches. Though pilots train for this situation, it is one of the most difficult things to execute from a pure skills perspective. Just youtube crosswind landings. The video of the FedEx crash today looks a lot like some of those landings.

http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v47/da...ction=view¤t=news4089545_27.flv

The clip actually doesn't show the beginning of the sequence, which showed several oscillations before the left wing dipped and caught the ground.

[Harbourmaster]

Footage of the crash from CCTV at the airport: Looks ugly, hope they got out alive...

http://news.tbs.co.jp/newseye/tbs_newseye4089545.html

[N-OS X-tasy!]

We see similar footage on TV here almost every year during our windy season, most often of flights landing at Ontario International Airport. Haven't had an incident yet, though.

(It's REALLY windy today - perhaps I better knock on wood.)

[Lee3]

Hard hit. Did the crew live?

[AAA]

I can't imagine anyone living through that.

[Carnos Jax]

I heard one person was brought out of the plane (not sure of the condition though). I think it was the pilot. These planes don't probably have a crew of much (perhaps as little as pilot and copilot).

[Drew]

I've landed at NRT more than once. It's usually a long bumpy descent. One time there was a pack of school girls on board returning from some kind of overseas trip. They screamed the whole way down like on a roller coaster.

[Harbourmaster]

MD-11 has a standard flight crew of 2, Pilot & Co-Pilot

[Buck]

They are reporting both pilots died.

[tahoedrew]

I get a 404 error on that link but your description made me immediately think of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z42fchrzhHY&feature=player_embedded

~A