747 tumbles in to Sea at Hong Kong Airport: 2 fatalities confirmed

A Boeing 747 cargo plane arriving from Dubai veered off the runway and plunged into the sea at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday morning, colliding with a ground-service vehicle and tragically killing two ground workers.

UPDATE: A press conference, led by Steven Yiu Siu-Chung, executive director for airport operations, has just concluded, revealing several key details about the tragic incident at Hong Kong International Airport.

Two airport security personnel, aged 30 and 41, were killed when their patrol car was pushed into the sea after the cargo plane veered off the runway upon landing. The aircraft broke through the perimeter fence and collided with the patrol car, which was outside the runway area. The plane itself split into two sections, and its four crew members managed to break open a door before being rescued from the sea.

Yiu confirmed that conditions at the airport were fit for landing and that no distress signals were sent prior to landing. Investigators are now searching for the plane’s black boxes underwater. Authorities are currently coordinating with the airline to remove the wreckage from the sea, while police have stated they are not ruling out the possibility of a criminal investigation.

Emirates SkyCargo flight EK9788, operated by Turkish carrier Air ACT, had landed on the airport’s north runway (07R) after departing from Al Maktoum International Airport (DWC) in Dubai.

All four crew members aboard the freighter escaped unharmed. Rescue operations continued throughout the morning, with the Fire Services Department and Marine Police deploying rescue vessels and a Government Flying Service helicopter to search the area.

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FlightRadar24 reported that the aircraft veered left off the runway approximately 5,000 feet from the runway threshold: “The 747-400 was traveling at 90 knots over the ground as it veered off the runway toward the sea wall. According to granular ADS-B data received by Flightradar24, the aircraft was traveling at 49 knots as it hit the water. The final ADS-B message received from the aircraft showed a speed of 43 knots.”

More to come…