Two dead as cargo plane crashes off runway into sea at Hong Kong airport

Two Hong Kong airport security personnel were killed early Monday when a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway on landing, collided with their patrol car and pushed it into the sea, the city’s airport operator said.

The Boeing 747 involved in the deadliest airport incident in the financial hub in more than 25 years also hit the water and partially sank, but all four crew members on board survived.

Airport security personnel were not breathing when they were rescued from the water, with one confirmed dead at the scene and another later in hospital, said Steven Yu, executive director of airport operations at the Airport Authority of Hong Kong.

Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the crash

The crash at the world’s busiest cargo airport involved a plane operated by Turkish cargo carrier ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates, the Dubai-based airline said in a statement.

Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the crash, with weather, runway conditions, the aircraft and the crew all part of the investigation, Yu said.

The accident happened around 3:50 am. Hong Kong time on Monday (1950 GMT on Sunday).

An air traffic control recording available on LiveATC.net reviewed by Reuters showed that the pilot of the cargo plane confirmed plans to land on runway 07L where the crash occurred, but did not report any technical problems on the recording.

“An incident happened at the airport just now,” a female controller said a few minutes later.

Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Aviation Accident Investigation Authority, confirmed that air traffic control directed the flight to land on the northern runway, but added: “We did not receive any message from the pilot requesting assistance.”

Yiu said the security patrol car was responsible for patrolling the northern runway along a road that was outside the runway fence. He was operating in his usual area and “definitely didn’t rush down the corridor,” she said.

The plane suddenly veered left after landing on the runway before hitting the car, which was “not a normal path,” he said.

Airport flights are not affected

Flights at Hong Kong airport were not affected, Yu said, adding that the northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport, where the incident occurred, would reopen after safety inspections were completed.

The southbound and central runways are operating normally, the authority said.

Photos taken after the accident showed an AirACT cargo plane partially submerged in water near the airport’s seawall with an escape slide deployed and the nose and tail sections separated.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement on Monday that the aircraft “veered off the northern runway after landing and crashed into the sea”.

Emirates said flight EK9788 was damaged on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 freighter chartered and operated by ACT Airlines.

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“The crew has been confirmed safe and there was no cargo on board,” Emirates said.

Boeing did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

ACT Airlines is a Turkish airline that provides extra cargo capacity to major airlines. It later said in a statement that it was not yet clear why the aircraft went off the runway and that an investigation was being carried out by the relevant authorities.

“All four crew members are confirmed to be in good health. Unfortunately, we have been informed that the aircraft collided with a ground vehicle, resulting in the loss of two lives,” it said, adding that the airline was fully cooperating with the investigation and was in close contact with officials.

Flight tracking service FlightRadar24 said the aircraft involved in the accident was 32 years old and had served as a passenger plane before being converted into a cargo plane.

Yu said the airport authority would provide all necessary help and support to the family, adding that the two employees who died had worked at the airport for seven and 12 years respectively.

It was the deadliest accident at the Hong Kong airport since a China Airlines flight crashed on landing in 1999, killing three of the 315 people on board, according to an Aviation Safety Network database.