Lufthansa cargo plane crashes in Riyadh
The wreckage of a Lufthansa cargo plane which caught fire and split in half as it was landing lies on the tarmac in Riyadh on Tuesday. The German pilot and co-pilot of Flight LH8460, which was carrying about 90 tons of unspecified cargo, were lightly injured, an airport official said. (AP)
Published: Jul 27, 2010 13:43 Updated: Jul 27, 2010 17:10
RIYADH: A cargo plane belonging to the German carrier Lufthansa crashed on landing at King Khalid International Airport (KKIA) here Tuesday, but its two pilots on board ejected themselves successfully with little injuries, officials said.
The crash split the aircraft in two on landing at 11:38 a.m. local time and its cargo were gutted by fire and mangled with the wreckage of the plane.
Christoph Meier, Lufthansa's head of corporate communications for the Middle East, said the Boeing MD-11 coming from Frankfurt, Germany, was "fully damaged" on landing.
"An investigation has been launched into crash of this cargo flight LH8460," he added.
Michael Goentgens, a spokesman for Lufthansa's cargo division in Germany, said the cargo plane was carrying 90 tons of unspecified cargo.
Airport officials said the plane's German pilot and co-pilot were taken to a nearby military hospital for treatment of minor injuries.
Kahlid Al-Khaibari, a spkesman of the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA), said the plane was cleared for final approach and was headed toward the airport at about 11:30 a.m. when the pilot reported to KKIA ground officials that there was a fire in the cargo hold of the aircraft.
Rescuers and firefighters immediately rushed to the wreckage after the plane crashed.
It was not clear if investigators have found the aircraft's flight data recorder or fire recorder.
Airport workers said that they watched in horror as the billowing tail of the aircraft caused sparks as it was dragged along the runway. "The whole aircraft then either ripped or fell off," said one eye witness. He said that the plane just seemed to blow up.
Transportation safety investigators from Germany will be examining the cause of the crash, said an official. Asked whether the load of the cargo or weather conditions caused the crash, an airline official said "there was nothing to indicate the plane was too heavy." He also noted that the weather was "good with clear sky" in Riyadh at the time of the accident.
The plane's owner, Lufthansa Cargo, an airline subsidiary of Lufthansa AG, is an international air freight and logistics company operating worldwide services.
Lufthansa Cargo does not only offer space on its own freighters, but also has access to the freight capacities of more than 300 Lufthansa passenger aircraft.
Deutsche Lufthansa AG is the flag carrier of Germany and the largest airline in Europe in terms of overall passengers carried. Together with its partners Lufthansa services around 410 destinations. With over 722 aircraft, it has the third-largest passenger airline fleet in the world when combined with its subsidiaries.
Comments
JED
Jul 28, 2010 15:02
Report abuseS M AFZAL
Jul 28, 2010 16:14
Report abuseHANI
Jul 28, 2010 16:18
Report abuseOMAR ALI SALMAN
Jul 28, 2010 18:36
Report abuse1. Air pressure which they are calming.well the airplane two wheel touch the ground the air pressure is nothing on run way,Air pressure start from 3000 Feet,2.Explode if there is explode in airplane we will found wreckage in two pieces,GACA said that pilot said in cargo there is fire strange thing if there is electrical problem in airplane it give notice to ATC (air traffic control) there thing they said this airplane is holding 90 tons,McDonnell Douglas MD-11 Max take off weight is 286,000 kg ,Max landing weight 222,900 kg,I am with FAA this is mysterious case in my whole history.this aircraft have Heavy refers to aircraft with "Extended Range" option and aircraft with ER option without additional fuel tank.