A Boeing 747 veered off a Hong Kong runway, ending in the South China Sea
In short: On 20 October 2025, an Emirates SkyCargo flight experienced a catastrophic runway excursion upon landing in Hong Kong. The Boeing 747-400 struck a ground vehicle, killing two security staff, before coming to rest in the sea. While all four crew members survived, the incident marked a rare aviation tragedy.
The flight, operated by Air ACT, departed Dubai on 19 October 2025. Upon landing at Hong Kong International Airport on 20 October, the aircraft faced technical complications. The thrust reverser on engine four was already inoperative. As the plane decelerated, the engine-indicating and crew-alerting system signaled that the autobrakes had disconnected. The captain assumed manual control, but the situation rapidly deteriorated when engine four unexpectedly spooled to 95% forward thrust, causing the aircraft to swerve left.
The crew attempted to regain control by deactivating the thrust reversers, but engine four continued to accelerate, reaching 106% forward thrust. The aircraft veered off the left side of runway 07L, approximately 5,000 feet past the threshold. During this excursion, it struck a patrol vehicle carrying two airport security staff, aged 41 and 30, both of whom were killed. The aircraft eventually came to rest in the South China Sea, split into two pieces, with the tail section separated and submerged.
A massive rescue operation involving over 210 personnel and various emergency vehicles was launched within minutes of the 03:55 HKT notification. All four Turkish crew members survived the crash and were hospitalized. Subsequent investigations by the Air Accident Investigation Authority, supported by the National Transportation Safety Board and Boeing experts, focused on the engine malfunction. The incident was the first fatal aviation event at the airport since 1999, prompting a complex salvage operation to recover the fuselage and flight recorders from the seabed.
The aircraft, a Boeing 747-481BDSF, had a long history, originally delivered to All Nippon Airways in 1993 and once featuring a Pokémon livery. It was converted to a freighter in 2011. While the aircraft was destroyed, the event highlights the persistent risks in aviation, even with modern safety protocols, as investigators continue to analyze the sequence of events that led to the unexpected engine acceleration and the subsequent fatal collision.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Emirates SkyCargo Flight 9788
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