Hong Kong, Oct 21 (AP) - Preparations are underway by Hong Kong authorities to reopen the runway where a cargo aircraft crashed on Monday, although it will not return to regular use until the wreckage is completely removed.
The Boeing 747, operated by Turkey-based ACT Airlines on a flight from Dubai, veered left upon landing in the early hours of Monday and collided with a patrol car, sending both into the sea. Tragically, the two workers in the car were found deceased, while the four crew members aboard the aircraft escaped without apparent injuries.
According to Steven Yiu, executive director for airport operations at the airport authority, repairs to the runway and damaged fencing have been finalized, and initial evidence collection at the scene is complete. However, the crucial cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder have yet to be recovered.
The runway is expected to be placed on standby status, enabling landings but excluding it from regular flight schedules, beginning Tuesday noon.
The aircraft was leased by Emirates, a Dubai-based long-haul carrier. Yiu indicated that the runway would remain in standby mode until the wreckage is removed from the adjacent sea.
Efforts to arrange wreckage removal with barge companies are ongoing but are delayed due to the impact of Tropical Storm Fengshen on the city. Yiu expressed hopes of completing the removal and related tasks within a week, contingent on weather conditions.
Ongoing investigations aim to establish the crash's cause, with both mechanical and human factors yet to be explored. Weather and runway conditions were reportedly within acceptable standards at the time of the incident.
This incident marks the second fatal crash involving ACT Airlines. In 2017, another Boeing 747, operating under the name MyCargo, crashed during a foggy landing in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan's capital, killing all four crew members and 35 individuals on the ground. That flight had originated from Hong Kong and was operated on behalf of Turkish Airlines.
The Kyrgyz authorities later attributed the 2017 crash to pilot error, attributing the incident to the crew's misjudgment of the aircraft's position under challenging weather conditions. Fatigue and a heated exchange with air-traffic control were also contributing factors, according to the report. (AP) GRS GRS
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