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Boeing 747 'splits in two' on take off

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  • Boeing 747 'splits in two' on take off

    taken from:
    http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe...eref=rss_world

    BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) -- A large cargo plane crashed at the end of a runway and split in two while trying to take off Sunday at Brussels airport, authorities said.

    Four of the five crew members on board the Boeing 747 were slightly injured, said Francis Vermeiren, mayor of the nearby town of Zaventem. The mayor was coordinating rescue efforts after the crash.

    "The plane is not on fire but it has split into two," he told VRT radio.

    Firefighters were coating the wings of the plane with special fire retardant foam as a precaution because the plane was still full of jet fuel, the mayor said.

    He said the plane was on a scheduled flight to Bahrain. It was not known what cargo the plane was carrying.

    The plane came to a halt at the end of a runway, near houses and a cemetery.

    Vermeiren said the pilot told rescue authorities he heard a large noise while trying to take off just after midday. It was not yet clear what caused the crash.

    The plane is owned by Kalitta Air, a cargo carrier based in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
    Dutch news says it happened at 13.30 local time (about 2 hours ago).
    Last edited by DAL767-400ER; 2008-05-25, 14:19.

  • #2
    Kalitta 747 breaks in 3 at take-off, BRU 25/5

    Some photos at the link. Translation of article. Some notes added by me:

    Suday 25/05/08
    At Zaventem a cargo plane has overran the runway. The plane broke in two [note: judging from photos it is actually three]. Four out of five crew members received minor injuries.

    The plane is a cargo plane operated by Kalitta Air, and airline that flies several times a week to Zaventem. The flight was a "diplomatic fligh" [note: most likely USAF military charter] to Bahrain. What the plane was carrying was not yet known. According to various sources the plane was carrying vehicles.

    The plane, a Boeing 747, had just left BRUcargo and was having problems upon take-off. At the end of the runway it broke in two [note: three pieces].

    The pilot reported a strange sound, and put the plane back on the ground, but got stuck near the railway. This was mentioned by Franic Vermeiren, the mayor of Zaventem. The railline has been closed.

    There where five crew members on board, four of them received minor injuries.

    Fire fighters from Brussels, Zaventem and Vilvoorde are present in large numbers. The Belgian Red Cross is also present. The disaster plan for the airport has been activated.

    Everything in a fraction of a second.
    The plane slid of the ruwnay and stopped near a few spotters.

    "I was waiting for a plane that was due to leave to make a few photos, but that did not happen. I heard a small thump" said spotter Jürgen Mussche, who say the accident happen.

    "It all happened in a fraction of a second. You see the plane approach, and you quickly want to go to the car, but you got no time."

    "I have seen a lot of strange stuff with planes, but I do not want to experience this again. This could have been my last day".

    http://www.deredactie.be/cm/de.redac...zaventem_crash
    Please visit my website! http://www.schipholspotter.com/

    Don't make me use uppercase...

    Comment


    • #3
      Possible aging aircraft causes cracked. Thanks Goodness pilots and crews are alive came out.

      Stuart

      Comment


      • #4
        Wow, look at this image from Jordi Steeno
        [photoid=6255643]

        Comment


        • #5
          Bloody fvcking hell, the fuselage looks sick .

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Big777jet
            Possible aging aircraft causes cracked. Thanks Goodness pilots and crews are alive came out.

            Stuart
            More likely inertia causes aircraft crack...
            May a plethora of uncultivated palaeontologists raise the dead in a way that makes your blood boil

            Comment


            • #7
              Some more images [photoid=6255648]
              [photoid=6255649]

              The last image shows that is broken in 3 pieces.

              Comment


              • #8
                I think you will find the fuselage breakup is the result of the event, not the cause.

                Aging aircraft issues affect the 41 section (Nose hump area) first. This area appears to be unaffected.
                Don
                Standard practice for managers around the world:
                Ready - Fire - Aim! DAMN! Missed again!

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Dmmoore
                  I think you will find the fuselage breakup is the result of the event, not the cause.
                  If there is a slope at the end of the runway or other obstructions, they may cause the plane to do that too. Very high stresses cause the plane to do that and other things. Look at the Adam Air 737-400 that made a hard landing, the fuselage cracked near the trailing edge of the wing but it did not split open like this one did when it overran the runway.

                  I wonder if they had problems on the takeoff roll. If it happened between V1 and before V2, then the pilots could have kept the plane down and stopped it.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Thank god it happened on the ground and not in the air.
                    Best regards

                    Peter Lund

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                    • #11
                      Cool, about time we had some action around here.
                      Everyone made like DB Cooper.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        any more photos? thanks!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          What was the age of the airframe?

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by jt325i
                            What was the age of the airframe?
                            28 years.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              The title of the artical is really missleading, it makes it sound like the just broke in the middle of the takeoff run. I'd be surprsed if that was the case, it looks to me more like an aborted takeoff that went of the runway and split up as it came to a stop, like the AF A340 in canada a while back. So there is no way this could have happened in air. Everybody on A.net is going on and on about a fatigue crack. Maybe that contributed, but the thing was already going off the runway. Hell, the nose dragging on the ground may have saved it from going off the slope and exploding.

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