Cargo plane overshoots Halifax runway, 4 crew sent to hospital
HALIFAX — A 747 cargo plane went off the runway while landing early Wednesday at Halifax Stanfield International Airport, leaving a trail of debris and sending four crew members to hospital.
Airport spokeswoman Theresa Rath Spicer said the SkyLease Cargo plane skidded off Runway 14 just after 5 a.m. She said it wasn’t clear what caused the accident — the third serious incident at Stanfield in 15 years, following crashes in 2004 and 2015.
“It did land and then overshot the runway,” Rath Spicer said.
“There were four crew on board at the time. They were removed from the aircraft and transported to hospital with what are described as minor injuries.”
Airport fire crews quickly extinguished a small fire in the plane’s tail area, she said.
Flight KKE 4854 was arriving from Chicago in rainy conditions, and scheduled to be loaded with live lobster destined for China, Rath Spicer said.
The plane was sitting Wednesday morning on a slight incline far off the runway and within about 50 metres of a fence that marks the perimeter of the airport boundary. Two of its engines appeared to be attached, but were heavily damaged, while two other engines were sheared off completely.
The landing gear was not visible and the nose of the white aircraft sustained moderate damage, but the underside of the plane appeared to be cracked and heavily damaged. As well, the fuselage appeared to be bent about halfway along the length of the aircraft, where the outer skin was mangled. Debris was scattered behind the plane.
An aluminum ladder trailed from an open main door near the front of the aircraft.
Emergency Health Services spokesman Remo Zaccagna said two ambulances were sent to the airport, along with a supervisory unit. “Patients were transported to hospital, but due to privacy laws [we] cannot provide the nature of their injuries,” he said.
The airport had activated its emergency operations centre and suspended all flights, but the main runway was re-opened shortly after 8 a.m.
Chris Krepski, spokesman with the Transportation Safety Board, said investigators were at the site and will examine the aircraft and the surrounding terrain, interview possible witnesses and crew members and take possession of the flight data recorders.
Two other planes have crashed while attempting takeoff or landing at the airport since 2004.
A passenger plane crashed during a blizzard on March 29, 2015, injuring 25 people. Air Canada Flight 624 bounced into the air and crashed near the runway threshold before careening along the tarmac. Federal investigators blamed approach procedures, poor visibility and lighting.
On Oct. 14, 2004, a Britishbased MK Airlines 747 went down just beyond the runway during takeoff, killing seven crew members. The Boeing cargo aircraft dragged its tail before breaking up and bursting into flames in a wooded area. No one survived.
A lengthy investigation found that crew fatigue and inadequate software training led the crew to enter incorrect information and caused the plane to set the throttles too low for a good takeoff.