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Dissecting the Birmingham UPS A300 Crash

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Key Takeaways:

  • A UPS Airbus A300 crashed short of the runway in Birmingham, Alabama, during a non-precision approach to a runway that lacked ILS, as the main runway with precision guidance was closed for construction.
  • The incident is eerily reminiscent of the Asiana Flight 214 crash, as both involved large transport jets crashing short of runways during approaches that lacked precision ILS guidance for different reasons.
  • While the exact causes remain unknown, preliminary flight data suggested an unusual descent profile for the UPS aircraft, and investigators will examine potential factors like equipment failure, automation confusion, or pilot error.
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There’s a lot we still don’t know about yesterday morning’s crash of a UPS Airbus A300 in Birmingham, Alabama. But what we do know is both troubling and at the same time eerily reminiscent of the Asiana Flight 214 crash in San Francisco last month.

The causes of these crashes won’t be determined for some time, and so there’s no point speculating about whether similar factors were involved in either tragedy. What we do know is that two large transport-category jets crashed short of the runway attempting to land during approaches that should have been routine affairs given the experience of the crews.

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