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DCA13MA133

2013-08-14 · Birmingham, Alabama, United States · Fatal · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport BHM

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

the flight crew's continuation of an unstabilized approach and their failure to monitor the aircraft's altitude during the approach, which led to an inadvertent descent below the minimum approach altitude and subsequently into terrain. Contributing to the accident were (1) the flight crew's failure to properly configure and verify the flight management computer for the profile approach; (2) the captain's failure to communicate his intentions to the first officer once it became apparent the vertical profile was not captured; (3) the flight crew's expectation that they would break out of the clouds at 1,000 feet above ground level due to incomplete weather information; (4) the first officer's failure to make the required minimums callouts; (5) the captain's performance deficiencies likely due to factors including, but not limited to, fatigue, distraction, or confusion, consistent with performance deficiencies exhibited during training; and (6) the first officer's fatigue due to acute sleep loss resulting from her ineffective off-duty time management and circadian factors.

Factual narrative

The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/aviation.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-14/02. On August 14, 2013, about 0447 central daylight time (CDT), United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, N155UP, crashed short of runway 18 during a localizer nonprecision approach to runway 18 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Birmingham, Alabama. The captain and first officer were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The nonscheduled cargo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan, and dark night visual flight rules conditions prevailed at the airport; variable instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with a variable ceiling were present north of the airport on the approach course at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky, about 0503 eastern daylight time (EDT). The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/aviation.aspx. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAR-14/02. On August 14, 2013, about 0447 central daylight time (CDT), United Parcel Service (UPS) flight 1354, an Airbus A300-600, N155UP, crashed short of runway 18 during a localizer nonprecision approach to runway 18 at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM), Birmingham, Alabama. The captain and first officer were fatally injured, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces and postcrash fire. The nonscheduled cargo flight was operating under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 on an instrument flight rules flight plan, and dark night visual flight rules conditions prevailed at the airport; variable instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) with a variable ceiling were present north of the airport on the approach course at the time of the accident. The flight originated from Louisville International Airport-Standiford Field (SDF), Louisville, Kentucky, about 0503 eastern daylight time (EDT). Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent/approach/glide path-Not attained/maintained
  • C Personnel issues-Psychological-Attention/monitoring-Monitoring equip/instruments-Flight crew
  • F Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Navigation system-Flt management computing sys-Incorrect use/operation
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of automation-Flight crew
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Communication (personnel)-Lack of communication-Pilot
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-(general)-Awareness of condition
  • F Environmental issues-Conditions/weather/phenomena-Ceiling/visibility/precip-Low ceiling-Accuracy of related info
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-Communication (personnel)-Lack of communication-Copilot
  • F Personnel issues-Task performance-(general)-(general)-Pilot
  • F Personnel issues-Physical-Alertness/Fatigue-Lack of sleep-Copilot
  • — Organizational issues-Support/oversight/monitoring-Training-(general)-Operator
  • — Organizational issues-Support/oversight/monitoring-Oversight-Oversight of operation-FAA/Regulator
  • — Aircraft-Aircraft systems-Navigation system-Ground proximity system-Related maintenance info

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2013_DCA13MA133.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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Related research

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