Two airport security officers were killed early Monday after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway at Hong Kong International Airport and slammed into their patrol vehicle, forcing it into the sea, authorities said.
The Boeing 747 freighter, operated by Turkish carrier ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates, was involved in Hong Kong’s deadliest airport accident in more than 25 years. The aircraft came to rest partially submerged near the airport’s seawall, though all four crew members escaped unharmed.
According to the executive director of airport operations at the Airport Authority Hong Kong, Steven Yiu, rescuers pulled the two security staff from the water, but neither showed signs of life. “One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other later in hospital,” Yiu said.
The crash occurred around 3:50 a.m. local time (1950 GMT Sunday). Air traffic control recordings reviewed by Reuters revealed that the pilot had been cleared to land on Runway 07L and reported no technical issues before the crash.
Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator with the Air Accident Investigation Authority, said the flight had been directed to land on the north runway and that no distress call was received from the cockpit.
Yiu confirmed that the patrol vehicle was operating within its assigned area and “definitely did not drive onto the runway.” He added that the plane appeared to suddenly veer left after touchdown, colliding with the vehicle — “a manoeuvre not consistent with normal landing paths.”
Photos from the scene showed the AirACT-liveried cargo jet broken apart, its fuselage split between the nose and tail, with one of its escape slides deployed into the water.
The Civil Aviation Department said the aircraft “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea.” Emirates confirmed that flight EK9788 “sustained damage on landing,” adding that all crew were safe and that no cargo was onboard at the time.
The northern runway remains closed pending safety checks, though other runways at the airport continue to operate normally.
Yiu said the two victims had worked at the airport for seven and twelve years, respectively, and that the Airport Authority would provide full support to their families.
According to the Aviation Safety Network, the incident marks Hong Kong’s deadliest airport accident since 1999, when a China Airlines jet crashed while landing, killing three people.
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