Two killed in fiery crash of UPS cargo jet

The wreckage of a UPS Airbus A300 cargo plane which crashed near the airport in Birmingham, Alabama on August 14, 2013, is pictured in this City of Birmingham handout photo. [Photo/Agencies]

PREVIOUS INCIDENTS

UPS declined immediate comment on reports that the A300 involved in the crash had a record of previous mechanical and structural issues, some of which caused emergencies to be declared during flight.

An FAA database showed that the "service difficulty" issues, which date back to 2006, included a problem with an air data computer and a malfunction of the plane's flap system.

The Airbus A300 is a wide-body jet widely used as a regional freighter by UPS, FedEx Corp and others.

Airbus said it will provide technical assistance to accident investigators. It said the aircraft involved was delivered to UPS from its production line in 2003, and had accumulated about 11,000 flight hours over about 6,800 flights.

The model has been involved in about 10 crashes, the latest occurring last November, when the front landing gear on DHL-owned jet collapsed on landing in Bratislava, Slovakia. The model has been in service since 1974.  

The Birmingham crash is the latest in a string of air accidents in the United States in recent months.

In July, an Asiana Airlines Boeing 777 crashed while landing in San Francisco, killing three people and injuring more than 180.

Also last month, the front landing gear of a Southwest Airlines Co Boeing 737 jet collapsed on touchdown at New York City's LaGuardia Airport, injuring eight.

In May, a US Airways flight made a belly landing at Newark International Airport in New Jersey after its landing gear failed to deploy. No one was injured.

Boeing has struggled with mechanical problem on its new 787 Dreamliner aircraft. All of the aircraft were grounded for three months earlier this year after battery problems caused a fire in a parked Japan Airlines plane in Boston.

Last month, after the 787s were cleared to return to service, another Japan Airlines Dreamliner turned back to Boston Logan International Airport after takeoff due to a mechanical indicator alert.