Accident Aircraft Three Days Before Crash28 November 2009; Avient Aviation MD11F; Z-BAV; Flight 324; Shanghai, China: An Avient Aviation MD11 crashed just after taking off from Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. The aircraft (registration Z-BAV) was on an unscheduled cargo flight (flight 324) from Shanghai, China to Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan when it crashed. Three of the seven crew members were killed.
Reportedly, one eyewitness, who is a pilot based in Shanghai, stated that the main gear left the ground just before the end of the runway, with the aircraft gaining very little altitude, before impacting approach lights and antennas and falling back onto the ground. Another report indicated that the aircraft's tail struck the runway one or more times during takeoff.
Overhead View of Area of the CrashAbout Avient Aviation
Avient Aviation is registered in Harare, Zimbabwe, but operates out of Great Britain. According to Flight Global and Avient Aviation, the airline owns four other cargo aircraft in its fleet, including three DC10s, and one Ilyushin Il-76, and operates 727 cargo aircraft as well. The accident aircraft, which first flew in 1990, had previously been registered to Korean Air (HL7372) and Varig Logistica (PR-LGD). It was delivered to Avient Aviation just eight days before the crash. According to AirFleets.net, the aircraft had been in storage in Miami for about 17 months.
Accident Investigation
The investigation is being conducted by China's General Administration of Civil Aviation, with the assistance of the NTSB, FAA, aircraft manufacturer Boeing, and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney. The investigating agency's phone number is (86) 10 6401-2907, their web site is at www.caac.gov.cn, and their email address is yf_mao@caac.gov.cn.
MD11 Crash History
The most recent Shanghai crash was the second crash of an MD-11 this year. The previous crash was also in Asia and involved the crash landing of an MD11 at Tokyo's Narita airport on 23 March 2009. There have been a total of eight MD11 events that have resulted in either onboard fatalities or a destroyed aircraft. Five of these eight events involved MD11 cargo aircraft. In 1999, a Korean Air MD11 also crashed shortly after taking off from a different Shanghai airport.
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About the MD11
About two hundred MD11s were built, and about 178 are currently in service. FedEx Express operates the world's largest MD-11 fleet with about 59 active aircraft. Well over half of all active MD-11s are flying as dedicated cargo aircraft, with many of them being converted passenger airliners.
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