Two security staffers at Hong Kong International Airport were killed when a Boeing 747 cargo plane skidded off a runway, crashed through a permitter fence, hitting their patrol vehicle and falling into the sea surrounding the airport. Emirates freighter flight EK9788, owned by Turkish cargo airline Air ACT, arrived from Dubai at around 3:50 a.m. local time when the landing was catastrophically wrong.
All four crew members on board were able to escape the partially submerged and broken up 747, according to Reuters. This is the deadliest airport incident in Hong Kong in over 25 years, according to Reuters. The two airport security staffers were not breathing when they were pulled from the water. One was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other later at the hospital, Steve Yui, executive director of of operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong, told the outlet. The staffers were 30 and 41 years old and had seven and 12 years of experience, respectively, the BBC reports.
Officials are now investigating the cause of the crash on the north runway, as the two others remain operational. Airport personnel say they gave the 747’s pilots correct instructions, and all the signs on the runway meant to guide the aircraft were operational, according to the BBC. They also say that the patrol car was traveling on a roadway outside of the runway’s fencing “at a safe distance” from the runway itself. Basically, it wasn’t their fault.
What went wrong?
An air traffic control recording that was reviewed by Reuters indicates the pilot confirmed plans to land on runway 07L when the crash occurred, but he didn’t report any sort of technical issues on the recording. The chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority confirmed that no help message was sent from the cockpit.
Minutes later, you can apparently hear an air traffic controller say, “An incident happened at the airfield just now.”
Photos from the scene show the Air ACT plane in pieces and partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall with the escape slides deployed. Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said that the aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea,” but it’s still going to be quite some time before we’ve got any idea exactly what happened. Police officials told the media that a criminal investigation couldn’t be ruled out just yet, the BBC reports.
The 747-481 in question was 32 years old and served as a passenger plane before it was converted into a freighter. Hong Kong International is the world’s busiest cargo airport, according to Reuters, and it’s expected that the impacted runway will reopen once safety inspections are completed.
