BBC Photo: Cargo plane plunging into Sea
Source: BBC
DST News: Cargo aircraft uncontrollably slided off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday and plunged into the sea, killing two ground staff members.
Emirates flight EK9788, arriving from Dubai around 3:50 a.m. local time (19:50 GMT), veered off course during landing and struck an airport patrol vehicle. The two occupants of the vehicle died at the scene, while all four crew members aboard the aircraft survived.
The accident is one of Hong Kong’s most serious aviation disasters in recent years, occurring at an airport known for its strong safety record. Authorities have begun an investigation to determine why the plane deviated from its landing path.
According to airport officials, proper landing instructions had been given to the crew, and clear runway markings were in place. Steven Yiu, the airport’s operations executive director, explained that the patrol car had been driving safely outside the runway fencing when the plane unexpectedly turned, broke through the barrier, and struck the vehicle, forcing it into the sea. He emphasized that the car “definitely did not enter the runway.”
Yiu added that the aircraft was not expected to turn toward the sea and that it had not issued a distress call before crashing. Divers later recovered the bodies of the two ground staff, aged 30 and 41, who had seven and twelve years of service respectively. Hong Kong’s transport bureau expressed deep sorrow and extended condolences to their families.
An Emirates spokesperson told the BBC that the Boeing 747-481 cargo plane “sustained damage on landing,” confirming that the crew were unharmed and that no cargo was onboard. The aircraft had been wet leased and operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines, meaning it was supplied with its own crew and insurance.
The four surviving crew members escaped by breaking open the emergency exits shortly after the crash. Firefighters reached the site within two minutes and rescued them. Images from the scene show the aircraft split in half, with part of its fuselage submerged and an emergency slide deployed.
Police said they are not ruling out criminal investigations. Officials from the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) are searching for the flight data and cockpit voice recorders, commonly known as black boxes, in the sea.
The affected runway remains closed for the day, though two others at the airport are still operational. At least 11 cargo flights scheduled to land on Monday have been cancelled.
This is only the second fatal accident at Hong Kong International Airport since it relocated from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The previous deadly incident occurred in August 1999, when a China Airlines flight crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.
