A300Capt
Freight Dawg
Cargo plane crashes at Halifax airport..
Last Updated Thu, 14 Oct 2004 08:42:42 EDT
HALIFAX - A Boeing 747 cargo plane with seven crew members crashed while
taking off from the Halifax airport early Thursday. Airline officials and
the RCMP fear none of the crew survived.
The MK Airlines jet, which had been taking off with a load of tractors and
seafood shortly before 4 a.m. local time, is lying in pieces in a wooded
area near the runway. Early video showed a bright orange glow coming from
the crash site.
The downed cargo plane.
It's not known whether any of the crew, from Zimbabwe, South Africa and
Britain, survived, but RCMP say it appears unlikely.
"Right now we can confirm that there are believed to be no survivors as a
result of the downed airplane," said RCMP Const. Joe Taplin.
The airport is closed, with fire and emergency crews on the scene. Nova
Scotia's medical examiner and investigators from the Transportation Safety
Board of Canada are also on site.
The plane is in pieces, with the jet's tail in a field at the end of the
runway and the wings ripped off. The rest of the plane smashed through the
woods for about a kilometre, according to a report from the Canadian Press.
There are reports that the plane's tail hit the runway while it was lifting
off. The RCMP say they don't know whether the plane managed to get off the
ground.
"The aircraft basically didn't take off. She continued her rotation and ran
off the runway and ran into woods," Steve Anderson, a spokesperson with MK
Airlines. "We've heard stories of fireballs and all the rest of it, but none
of this has actually been confirmed."
The flight had stopped in Halifax to pick up a load of seafood and refuel
before heading to Zaragosa, Spain. It had already picked up a load of
freight in New York.
Anderson told CBC Newsworld that the 20-year-old plane had an "exemplary"
service record.
"She's been an absolute gem."
The airline has been flying out of the Halifax airport once a week for the
past 18 months and is familiar with the area. There was no rain and some
cloud cover at the time of the crash.
Flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled until at least 9 a.m.
ADT.
Taxi drivers taking passengers to the airport had reported being turned
back, saying all they had been told was that there was some sort of
incident.
One witness told a Halifax radio station that he saw two bright flashes in
the sky, which turned the sky bright orange.
The airport is about 35 kilometres from the city's downtown.
Last Updated Thu, 14 Oct 2004 08:42:42 EDT
HALIFAX - A Boeing 747 cargo plane with seven crew members crashed while
taking off from the Halifax airport early Thursday. Airline officials and
the RCMP fear none of the crew survived.
The MK Airlines jet, which had been taking off with a load of tractors and
seafood shortly before 4 a.m. local time, is lying in pieces in a wooded
area near the runway. Early video showed a bright orange glow coming from
the crash site.
The downed cargo plane.
It's not known whether any of the crew, from Zimbabwe, South Africa and
Britain, survived, but RCMP say it appears unlikely.
"Right now we can confirm that there are believed to be no survivors as a
result of the downed airplane," said RCMP Const. Joe Taplin.
The airport is closed, with fire and emergency crews on the scene. Nova
Scotia's medical examiner and investigators from the Transportation Safety
Board of Canada are also on site.
The plane is in pieces, with the jet's tail in a field at the end of the
runway and the wings ripped off. The rest of the plane smashed through the
woods for about a kilometre, according to a report from the Canadian Press.
There are reports that the plane's tail hit the runway while it was lifting
off. The RCMP say they don't know whether the plane managed to get off the
ground.
"The aircraft basically didn't take off. She continued her rotation and ran
off the runway and ran into woods," Steve Anderson, a spokesperson with MK
Airlines. "We've heard stories of fireballs and all the rest of it, but none
of this has actually been confirmed."
The flight had stopped in Halifax to pick up a load of seafood and refuel
before heading to Zaragosa, Spain. It had already picked up a load of
freight in New York.
Anderson told CBC Newsworld that the 20-year-old plane had an "exemplary"
service record.
"She's been an absolute gem."
The airline has been flying out of the Halifax airport once a week for the
past 18 months and is familiar with the area. There was no rain and some
cloud cover at the time of the crash.
Flights in and out of the airport have been cancelled until at least 9 a.m.
ADT.
Taxi drivers taking passengers to the airport had reported being turned
back, saying all they had been told was that there was some sort of
incident.
One witness told a Halifax radio station that he saw two bright flashes in
the sky, which turned the sky bright orange.
The airport is about 35 kilometres from the city's downtown.
