A Lufthansa cargo plane has crashed and “split in two” at Riyadh Airport in the Saudi capital, but the crew are reported to have survived.
Saudi state TV reported that the MD-11 cargo plane crashed this morning at King Khaled International Airport, with reports suggesting the plane split in half on impact and caught on fire. Another source, quoted on the news wires, described the plane as being “totally finished”. Lufthansa said the crew of two pilots were being treated in hospital, while the Saudi Arabia’s General Authority of Civil Aviation said firefighters were battling to contain the blaze.
A Lufthansa spokesman said: “According to the latest reports, a Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter crashed this morning at 11.38am (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. “The aircraft, coded Flight LH 8460, was on a flight to Riyadh from Frankfurt, Germany. “On board Flight LH 8460 was 80 tonnes of freight. It is not yet known exactly what type of freight it was or which customers are affected. “The cause of the accident is still being investigated. At the moment, we have no further details.”
In 2009, IFW reported on two MD-11 crashes: in December, Avient Aviation’s first MD-11 freighter was involved in a fatal crash at Shanghai’s Pudong Airport, just days after entering service for the Zimbabwean carrier. Three of the seven crew members died in the crash. And in March last year, a FedEx MD-11 freighter from Guangzhou crashed at Tokyo’s Narita Airport. Strong gusts of wind were blamed for the accident.
Source of report: IFW Tue 27th July 2010
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