Cargo plane slides off runway and falls into sea in Hong Kong, killing two airport staff

Two Hong Kong airdrome information unit were killed aboriginal connected Monday aft a cargo level from Dubai skidded disconnected the runway connected landing, collided with their information patrol conveyance and pushed it into the sea, the city's airdrome relation said.

The Boeing 747 progressive successful the deadliest airdrome incidental successful the fiscal hub successful much than 25 years besides fell into the h2o and was partially submerged, but each 4 unit members connected committee escaped.

The airdrome information unit were not breathing erstwhile rescued from the water, with 1 confirmed dormant astatine the country and different aboriginal astatine hospital, said Steven Yiu, enforcement manager of airdrome operations astatine Airport Authority Hong Kong.

The mishap astatine the world's busiest cargo airdrome progressive a level operated by Turkish freight bearer ACT Airlines connected behalf of Emirates, the Dubai-based hose said successful a statement.

Authorities are inactive investigating the nonstop origin of the crash, with weather, runway conditions, the craft and aircrew portion of the investigation, Yiu said.

The mishap occurred astir 3:50 a.m. Hong Kong clip connected Monday (1950 GMT connected Sunday).

An aerial postulation power signaling disposable connected LiveATC.net reviewed by Reuters indicated the cargo plane's aviator confirmed plans to onshore connected runway 07L wherever the clang occurred, but helium did not study immoderate method issues connected the recording.

"An incidental happened astatine the airfield conscionable now," a pistillate controller said minutes later.

Man Ka-chai, main mishap and information researcher for Hong Kong's Air Accident Investigation Authority, confirmed aerial postulation power had directed the formation to onshore astatine the northbound runway, but added: "We didn't person immoderate connection requesting assistance from the pilot."

Yiu said the information patrol car was successful complaint of patrolling the northbound runway on a roadworthy that was extracurricular the runway fence. It was operating successful its accustomed country and "definitely didn't unreserved onto the runway," helium said.

The airplane abruptly veered near aft landing connected the runway earlier hitting the car, which "wasn't a mean path", helium said.

Flights astatine Hong Kong's airdrome person not been affected, Yiu said, adding that the bluish runway astatine the world's busiest cargo airport, wherever the incidental occurred, would reopen aft information inspections were complete.

The southbound and cardinal runways are operating arsenic normal, the authorization said.

Photos taken aft the mishap showed a cargo craft with AirACT livery partially submerged successful h2o adjacent the airport's oversea partition with an flight descent deployed and the chemoreceptor and process sections separated.

Hong Kong's Civil Aviation Department said successful a connection connected Monday that the craft had "deviated from the northbound runway aft landing and ditched into the sea."

Emirates said formation EK9788 sustained harm connected landing successful Hong Kong connected Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo craft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines. "Crew are confirmed to beryllium harmless and determination was nary cargo onboard," Emirates said.

Boeing did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

ACT Airlines is simply a Turkish bearer that provides other cargo capableness to large airlines. It aboriginal said successful a connection that it was not yet wide wherefore the level had veered disconnected the runway and an probe was being carried retired by the applicable authorities.

"All 4 unit members connected committee person been confirmed to beryllium successful bully health. Unfortunately, we person been informed that the craft collided with a crushed services vehicle, resulting successful nonaccomplishment of 2 lives," it said, adding the hose was cooperating afloat with the probe and was successful adjacent interaction with officials.

Flight tracking work FlightRadar24 said the craft progressive successful the mishap was 32 years aged and had served arsenic a rider level earlier being converted into a freighter.

Yiu said the airdrome authorization would supply each indispensable assistance and enactment to the family, adding the 2 unit who died had worked astatine the airdrome for 7 and 12 years respectively.

It was the deadliest airdrome mishap successful Hong Kong since a China Airlines formation crashed connected landing successful 1999, sidesplitting 3 of the 315 radical connected board, according to an Aviation Safety Network database.