Cargo plane crashes at the airport in Hong Kong, killing two security personnel
A cargo plane from Dubai skids off the Hong Kong runway and falls into the sea, killing two airport security personnel.
According to authorities, a cargo plane from Dubai went off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport, colliding with a patrol vehicle and shoving it into the sea, killing two airport security personnel early on Monday.
The deadliest airport accident to occur in Hong Kong in over 25 years involved a Boeing 747 cargo that was flown by Turkish airline ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates. All four crew members were unharmed despite the plane becoming partially submerged in water close to the sea wall of the airport.
The two airport employees were not breathing when they were pulled out of the water, according to Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong. He stated, “One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other was later confirmed dead at the hospital.”
Around 3:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT on Sunday), the crash happened. The pilot confirmed plans to land on runway 07L and did not disclose any technical concerns prior to the crash, according to Reuters’ study of air traffic control recordings.
The airplane was instructed to land on the north runway by air traffic control, but “we didn’t receive any message requesting help from the pilot,” according to Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority.
According to Yiu, the security patrol car “definitely didn’t rush onto the runway” and was functioning in its typical region. After landing, he said, the plane abruptly swerved to the left before colliding with the car—a maneuver he called “not a normal path.”
The AirACT-liveried freight jet was partially submerged, with its nose and tail parts detached and an escape slide deployed, according to photos taken at the scene.
The aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea,” according to Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department. Emirates reported that “crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard” despite the fact that flight EK9788 had damage upon landing.
While other runways continued to function, the airport authority stated that the northern runway will reopen after safety inspections were finished.
Yiu stated that the authorities would support the relatives of the two victims, who had worked at the airport for seven and twelve years, respectively.
This was the deadliest airport disaster in Hong Kong since 1999, when a China Airlines jet crashed on landing, killing three people, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
