Fight For Survival (FedEx Flight 705) - DISASTER AVERTED 

The unsung hero is the aircraft itself, for not getting torn apart flying beyond it's design limits.

"He had one weapon he could use, THE PLANE ITSELF." This story deserves an action movie to recreate this insane flight!

One of the most harrowing air incidents I've ever heard about. Dave Sanders, Jim Tucker and Andy Peterson are true heroes

When the pilot in control was in the middle of chaos he used the word ‘please’ when requesting help. He sounded relatively calm after being assaulted, listening to his crew mates fighting the madman and flying the plane at the same time. It sickens me that the assaulter ruined the careers of those three brave pilots. They trained their entire lives to be pilots and in one moment they became too physically and emotionally wrecked to fly commercially again. I hope FedEx compensated them very well. They should have compensated them with the amount the plane was worth since they saved it from crashing.

I’ve known about this incident, but was unaware that they’d barrel rolled a DC-10. The flight simulations convey so much more than an article or report could.

Wow. Got chills during the atc recording. “Just keep talking to me” could you imagine what Is going through his head. Those pilots are hero’s amongst men.

I’ve heard from Fedex workers that the dent on some areas in the cockpit that was caused by Calloway’s hammer is still visible to this day. And Many crews nicknamed the DC-10 the Calloway cruiser

I remember this incident on the episode of Mayday. Dude did a barrel roll that went beyond the plane's limit to throw off the attacker in hopes that gravity helped the others fend him off. To paraphrase, he said in the interview that his military training kicked in even though he was in severe pain. These guys were big time heros!

How the crew was able to survive this is basically a miracle.

“Listen just keep talking to me okay?” Damn. Dudes on the verge of passing out while doing this all.

This plane is still flying for fedex as an MD-10, which is a DC-10 that has received an avionics upgrade to resemble the MD-11 so that MD-11 pilots can fly the upgraded DC/MD-10s with an MD-11 type rating and minimal additional training. FedEx is the inventor of the MD-10 concept and is the only operator of the MD-10. I was speaking to an MD pilot a few days ago who had just flown N306FE last week and he didn’t know it was the one that was involved in this. Another pilot told me that there is still evidence of dried blood underneath the glare shield and in the cracks of the cockpit furnishings if you know where to look. Every time I see a FedEx trijet I look for N306FE. I haven’t seen it yet but I am going to keep looking until they officially retire all their MD-10s. Insane story. Thank you for the video.

Hats off to those men for stepping it up and saving the day. What a sad ending hearing that they could never fly again. They lost so much but prevented a tragedy.

It was obvious now that unlike in movie, a single blow of hammer to the head, even fracturing skull, didn't instantly kill someone. It's sad they lost their job, yet they're still alive. Thank you for your amazing work!

The captain of the original crew was someone who went by the book.. Calloway tried to persuade him to manipulate the working hour logs so they arent replaced by any other crew. But the captain insisted on doing the right thing and hence Calloway ended up dead heading with the replaced crew. Things would have gone pretty different if the original crew had flown the route (the captain, a female first officer nd Calloway as flight engineer)

What a complete nutcase, hope he is having a hard time in prison and I hope he rots there- what a greedy, manipulative and dangerous individual. In contrast may the brave crew live a long prosperous life and enjoy their retirement. Your bravery not only saved your lives, but the lives of many on the ground.

I occasionally use fedex for a ride home, and this still affects the captains who were there at the time... They will not allow anyone in the flight deck jumpseats, only the cargo area jumpseats.

Lets` hope, once retired, that plane gets to survive in a museum in honour of the crew!

Wow!! What a story..Those 3 men were so brave and didn’t give up without a fight. Although no lives were lost..it is sad that the 3 men lost their careers because of this guy. I love all your videos but this one was very interesting and definitely one of my favourites. Thanks for all your hard work Chloe 😊

When N306FE retires it should be preserved such a iconic aircraft with a history!

This as many other stories was a fight between the most dark places a human is willing to go and the need to survive to see another day. It really shows the conflicting nature of the human condition.

recently just rewatched the Mayday episode of this and i've always been amazed how the FO just piloted the plane like it was a fighter jet. it also makes me so sad to remember that those three pilots could never fly again -- their last statements from the Mayday ep stuck with me and it's so heartwrenching to recall. thank you for covering this one! i'm excited to get more details on this incident and love that you included the ATC recording on this one as usual -- to be able to hear the actual struggle is just...wow

Wow, I had put this on while getting ready for work, but this story … I had to sit down and watch the whole thing. What tremendous heroism by those individuals. Thank you for telling this story in such a clear and engaging way!

The plane involved N306FE is still in service as of the upload date. Aldo Captain David Sanders, First Officer Jim Tucker and Flight Engineer Andy Peterson were decorated with the Airline Pilots Association Gold Medal Award for heroism. Which is the highest decoration a civilian pilot can achieve. And its so rarely awarded not even Captain Cheselin 'Sully' Sullenberger was awarded it. Puts into perspective the level of pure heroism and airmanship that crew displayed. Why this hasnt become a Hollywood blockbuster yet is outrageous. MAKE IT HAPPEN! And in keeping with the incredible story of FedEx 705 as a Hollywood blockbuster why not have Brad Pitt as Captain Sanders, Leo Di Caprio as First Officer Tucker, Chris Pine as Flight Engineer Peterson and the go to Hollywood villain actor of the modern day Idris Elba as Calloway. Thats a film i would see in cinemas.

"It's sort of under control" is quite the understatement.

This needs to be a movie. One of the craziest air incidents ever.

Hopefully those brave crew members were given compensation for not being able to fly for profit anymore

Out of all the airliner crash videos I've seen, this one scared me the most. Imagine yourself being in the situation where you have to battle a madman to survive.

Not just losing his job at FedEx, but given WHY he'd be fired (falsifying records THAT important), he'd likely be blacklisted from the American aviation industry as a whole *forever*

Duuuude... That FO is badass... Flying with one arm with a DC10 doing a barrel roll while struggling to concentrate and with the plan beyond it's capacity, and an attacker continuing his attack. THEN is successful with the assisting subduing with the attempted murderer... That's some hero level shit. Don't get me wrong, but all three are BA. But, that FO...that's next level even above the other two. Definitely impacting the results of this were the pilot and FO being Vietnam vets when combating a Navy vet contributed to the drama of this fight.

When you hear about pilots or airline crew on board with the malicious intent of using the airplane as a weapon, it's more often the case of these people being desperate and that murder-suicide is their "final solution". While the FedEx flight 705 is an example of an averted suicide attempt, there are countless other that ended tragically. There's the PSA Flight 1771 where a disgruntled ex-PSA employee put his plan in motion to kill his ex-boss and later everyone else on board. There's also the SilkAir Flight 185 where it was revealed that the captain's financial state was in dire straits following the Asian market crash and a life insurance that gave him motive to deliberately crash the plane (though the Indonesian authorities rebuffed claims of suicide). And one of the most recent cases of plane suicide - the Germanwings Flight 9525, while not financially motivated, the crash was deliberate as Andreas Lubitz's state of mind was bad and if he was found out by Lufthansa that he was lying about (or hiding) his mental health, it would've categorically meant the end of his aviation career. While some are not deliberate (i.e. intentionally using an aircraft as a weapon), they're cases that are rather caused by an erratic behaviour from one of the pilots. One of those curious cases is that of Northwest Airlink Flight 5719. During the investigation, it was revealed that captain Marvin Falitz had several anger outburts towards colleagues and other personnel in the past, including during Flight 57190. In one instance he was livid at the company's policy requiring pilots to relocate to the smaller cities outside the Minneapolis-St. Paul area (Northwest Airlink had been operating there from 1984 til it's discontinuation in 2010). Though his actions weren't malicious as those of FedEx 705, PSA 1771, SilkAir 185 or Germanwings 9525, Falitz's actions in general as well as his proneness to anger outbursts were contributing factors that led to the crash outside Hibbing, MN.

I can't even imagine. It's hard enough just to fly and land properly without somebody attacking you.

Thank you for covering this, I can’t get enough of disasters avoided by the skill of the fight crew, and in addition this case, their tenacity. It’s a shame that none of them can fly commercially again. I’d also recommend the Mayday episode on this incident, as it was beautifully dramatized and shows just how hard they pushed this plane in trying to keep Calloway off balance, but also they did a pretty dramatic turn to line up for their approach. It’s probably my favorite episode of the series.

In 1988, something alike happened in Brazil, with VASP flight 375. A passenger entered the cockpit, killed the copilot and the pilot did a roll, with the 737, to disarm the attacker. Unfortunately, only the unUnited States is remembered in this whole world, "the center of the universe". Just like with Sully, TACA 110 is barely remembered, because the pilot is not US born, and even in Brazil, again, one Fokker 100 landed in the grass of a farm, killing only one cow, but like I said, there is no other country in this "America sphere". But for the channel, I really enjoy every single video, keep the good job!

and the plane is STILL IN SERVICE, or at least was recently. incredible.

Truly a miracle the 3 pilots survived this; a testament to their fight for survival - a shame their injuries prevented them from flying commercially ever again but, this could have turned out so, *so* much worse (especially considering what the hijacker intended to do with the plane.) Also a miracle the plane held up just fine doing those insane manoeuvres it was never built to do (it was a display of incredible airmanship, as you yourself said), and had a long life past this incident.

As a spotter from Memphis, I’ve caught N306FE several times. I have loved seeing their MD-10’s, but are being retired at a rate of about 1 per month. On New Year’s Eve along with 316FE, 306 will be the last retired from their fleet.

I was also aware of this incident. I watched Seconds from Disaster, Air Emergency, and other shows of this nature. While on a flight in the United States I spoke with a pilot sitting next to me. He was very impressed with my knowledge from these shows I.e., vertical stabilizers, flaps, Alerons, pido tubes, rotation, de-icing etc. I am so glad I found a channel with fellow enthusiasts.

I have to say it's quite ballsy to take on 3 guys without a gun. Still glad they fought back and saved the plane

Thanks for excellent work putting together this shocking video, from a former airline pilot. Didn't know about his incident, even though I was a sales manager for UA at the time.

Yes! Was wondering if you were gonna make one on this incident. Absolutely unbelievable story, like something from an OTT action movie

The first officer was incredibly calm when talking to ATC!

Absolutely fantastic video about an incident that I had no idea even happened until today. I applaud the heroism and the quick thinking of the three pilots for trying their best to fend off Calloway while also trying to land the plane safely despite severe injury.

I’ve watched all your videos and absolutely loved this one. Great job.

I've watched the Mayday episode about this about 3 times over the years. Your version is succinct but is still able to convey the drama of this incident. Calloway's plans went awry when the original crew couldn't fly. He wagered that they would have been easier to take out. Never expected to get Vietnam Vets on the flight. True heroes!!

Just watched 74gear talk about this plane catching on fire and being retired so I had to hear the story behind this too…glad to see another one of my favorite channels talking about it! Wild.

Awesome to hear Commercial pilots able to kick ass with hard core acrobatics in their huge jets when the chips are down - and survive.

I first heard about this incident from The Dollop podcast. I already knew this was going to be a wild ride but having the ATC recording really brings the chaos to life.

can you imagine the blood that must have been everywhere in the galley? all of those blows and subsequent fighting upside and in zero gravity. absolutely insane. great video!

Basically it went like, "express 705 is you situation under control" "Uh, yeah, at the moment. I have him pinned to the ceiling." "Say again, 705?" "Oh, yeah, I'm flying upside down" Only pilots and aviation nerds understand the gravity of that action. And he was partially blinded and paralyzed from a TBI. Fn'ing legend.

Speaking of recommendations could you do a video on Arrow Air Flight 1285R. 248 soldiers died and all crew died coming back to fort Campbell and there are a lot of out there theories involving this incident. Just thought it would be interesting and my dad knew a lot of the soldiers on board.

Auburn Calloway must have been paranoid. I have seen many documentaries regarding this one flight. Since this was after PSA 1771 then i am surprised no big actions were taken.

Fun fact this exact DC10 continued service and was the last commercial flight of the DC10 for Fedex about a month ago

bro actually barrel rolled a dc-10 and did not break up. Wow, the 3 pilots are heroes (including the plane for withstanding that much g-forces)

This channel is fantastic. Direct, to the point, clear explanation, accurate information.

I am so impressed with this video - I saw the same flight covered in Aircrash Investigation, and honestly you've covered everything that video did too in such a succinct yet still all the important informative way. Aircrash investigation have interview snippets from investigators/survivors, and re-enactments that fill up the video a lot, and it's a great watch! When I saw this one was shorter and graphiced, I was worried it might have been a bit half-effort - but you included every single important line the ACI narrator did "The plane itself" "Pushing it far beyond it's design limits" "Half paralysed but keeping the lane unpredictable" and so much more. Kudos to you and you have a new subscriber!

Love your videos,i always listen to them to fall asleep

I had an interesting suggestion for a documentary. Could you do one on the 1990 Guangzhou baiyun airport collisions. Hint: this involves 3 planes

Another great video, Ms Howie!

My 6 year old's favorite episode of Mayday/Air Crash Investigation is about this incident, so we would look at Flight Radar24 and keep track of this plane. N306FE was one of FedEx's final MD-10s to be retired, and there's a petition with 19.1k signatures to preserve it. Where that will go, who knows, but ... would be neat to take her to see it someday.

Amazing that the plane is still in service. I am so glad that you did a video on this.

In the midst of this horror, let's take a moment to appreciate the wholesomeness of cargo operators giving a second life to old airframes.

I've seen this video before on another channel and what an amazing feat of airmanship it is those two navy pilots have some skills and they know how to use them especially on that flight first officer doing barrel rolls, and Dave Sanders performing an amazing landing. He first flew parallel with runway 36L and then banked the aircraft 180 degrees and almost 90 degrees pulling gees to line up with the runway 36L and landing that giant fighter of an aircraft perfectly. What a truly amazing event that took place that day. For those injured pilots to perform those amazing tactics and come out on top. Wow man wow!! Great story. And thank God for those navy pilots!!!

I will say this, I'm an advocate of mental health awareness and yes yes we all know that one should seek help before thinking about injuring themself. But, my empathy can only go so far when one attempts to bring others with them. Just cause one wants to die doesn't mean others do. If you feel like you just gotta harm yourself, don't do it at the expense of others.

I hadn’t heard of this incident before it appeared on this channel. The way the story is narrated coupled with the actual ATC recordings had me on the edge of my sit through out. What a relief to hear the plane and crew made it back. Thanks for making this one. I salute the 3 pilots for their bravery.

Was waiting for your upload from morning

"Attempted Murder, Attempted Piracy, and Insurance Fraud" Murder, Arson & Jaywalking. xD

Great job on this mini-documentary -- and yes, it should be a Disaster Breakdown vid! I remember this as it happened -- well, at least as the news reported it that day. It was unimaginable to me that such a thing could happen. I was also astounded at how the badly injured pilots still were able to fight off and subdue their able-bodied military-trained attacker, AND perform disorienting aerobatic maneuvers in a commercial airliner, AND safely land the plane after all that transpired. I'm happy and pleased that the attacker's insanity plea was tossed, and that he was sentenced to two life terms. Even so, it seems lacking, especially since he single-handedly ended the pilots' careers and means of income. Question: Does anyone know if those pilots received any compensatory monies as a result of this horrific act? I would hope that FedEx stepped up and gave those heroes substantial pensions. Food for Thought: If this sort of thing happened today, say, in an Airbus, the outcome might have been catastrophically different. The Airbus (and similar F.B.W. aircraft), have several active and operational safeguards that prevent pilots from doing barrel rolls, high-G turns, steep climbs & dives, and likewise prevent pilots from exceeding the design limits of the plane. Those things can still be done after the protection safeguards have been completely disabled (Direct Law in Airbuses, Direct Mode in Boeing 777s & up) -- BUT, at least in Airbuses, there is no easy way to force Direct Law. Given that, an incapacitated pilot might not be able to, physically and/or mentally, do what is required to force Direct Law/Mode.

Thank you for your spin on my favorite aviation story of bravery and heroism. By the way did you ever see Calloway's website? He paints himself as a victim. It's pathetic and sad. He was also a highly skilled martial arts black belt fighter. I'm glad that he's at Florence Supermax. That's what he deserves. So sad that the stole those three men's occupation from them.

@DisasterBreakdown you won't believe it but exactly this airframe had a fire in his cargo area and made a emergency landing at Tulsa this year. It's scrapped now I think but not sure, you can make another video with the same airframe

The flight crew did a wonderful job of fighting off the monster and returning to safety. Worst wishes for Auburn Calloway. May he rot behind bars and regret his evil deed forever.

Thats horrible What kind of human can do that? The heroism of that crew is beyond what i can describe. Such a nightmare scenario to live.

I have worked on 306FE after the conversion to a MD10 a bunch of times!!

Thank you for covering this event in your usual professional and respectful way.

No matter how many times I hear this story... It always gets my anxiety going

Hijackers: Now be good boys or else. Pilot: *COWABUNGA IT IS*

Aw man, I was wondering when you’d cover this one! Easily the most fascinating attempted hijacking I’ve ever heard of.

It's sad that while the involve plane is still in service today the 2 of those 3 pilots are not anymore.

Thank you for such a detailed and informative video. I am a subscriber of the MentourPilot channel, and another subscriber asked Petter to cover this incident. I can now go back to his channel and inform people that this is available on your channel. Happy Coronation Day! 💓🇬🇧

I drive a sweeper truck on the fedex Memphis property. I often drive around looking for it. Just recently involved in an incident where some insects crawled into a smoke detector causing a false alarm.

Great to see a DC actively saving lives for a change!

I can't stand people who are so cowardly that they try to take out other people with them when attempt suicide. It makes you look back at all of his decision with skepticism wondering if he was a ticking time-bomb all along. He brought this upon himself, you never ever lie about how many flight-hours you've accrued. Trying to kill innocent men along with you is despicable cowardly behavior. Also, the 3 crew members had such extensive and gruesome injuries to the head that they're extremely lucky to have stayed conscious and survived. One of them had especially horrific head injuries, I can't remember which one maybe the captain.

I have the book documenting this incident. So crazy especially with the pre-9/11 hijacking and terror plot. The pilots are heroes and it's very unfortunate that they were unable to return to the skies. I'm happy that that loser won't ever be able to see daylight again , he deserves no freedom.

What a treat it is to wake up to a new upload from you! 🥰❤️ Thank you

Ayooo new vid! Your voice is so pretty ahhhh

Awesome video as always Chloe, thanks :)

- Give up captain, you're unarmed and defenseless! - That's what you think Calloway. I HAVE A GODDAMN PLANE! **Barrel Rolls**

Great video as always, never heard of this incident before. One of my favourite channels on RU-vid.

oh god, this is one of those absolutely insane incidents. flying a DC-10 right up against its limits because not doing so means Maybe You Will Die is INTENSE

I love this channel. I literally forget a new video is uploaded every saturday until my saturday work day lunch break and see it pop up in my feed and im like "NEW VIDEO 😲😲😲😲😲"

The recording really conveys the urgency and gravity of the situation. It's not often that you hear a pilot sounding so shaken. They're usually composed in conversations with the ATC

So Calloway want’s to make it look like an accident to get the payout, makes sense. Bash their head in with a hammer, crash the plain, bodies have signs of blunt force trauma, it’s written off as being caused by the crash… what the fuck was his plan with the harpoon? Like how on earth is that looking like an accident? “Yeah looks like the crash killed everyone, the pilot has a harpoon sticking out of his chest, it must have been a mechanical issue”

Sorry if this is a bit distasteful but I think this is the first ever Disaster Breakdown episode where the only thing lost on the flight were the three pilots' careers due to injuries caused by self-defense against a rogue employee. Those three men were true valiant heroes. Considering the severity of the attacks, those blows by hammer right onto the head should've been an instant death but God gave them strength to fight back and land the plane safely. If they're still alive today I wish them a good life....

This is an interesting story 😮 It was scary. I keep hoping the pilots were okay. Nice story telling 😱.

The crazy thing is calloway would have been the 3rd member of the crew but the previous crew went over time by 1 minute. 😮

Your videos are great! Thanks for sharing

crazy story, never stop being amazed every time i hear it. great video, as always!

I guess even with planes it can be a case of “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” regarding DC-10s today.

Calloway is a coward arsehole. I feel so bad for the crew involved. I do want to shout out ATC who performed admirably and compassionately in the recordings we've heard here. Also, Chloe, I wanted to give thanks for giving clear timestamps to skip ATC recordings (etc.). While I'm personally fine with hearing these, people I share the aviation fascination with whom I recommend your videos to may not be, and it's a nice touch. Hope you have a good Easter, and a happy (belated) trans day of visibility!

What an incredible story. Thank you for sharing this analysis.

I hope those pilots were rewarded handsomely for losing their careers trying to prevent a tragedy.