Cargo Plane Crashes into Patrol Car at Hong Kong Airport, Killing Two Ground Staff

A routine landing turned tragic at Hong Kong International Airport early Monday morning when a cargo plane skidded off the runway, smashed through a perimeter fence, and collided with an airport security patrol vehicle, killing both workers inside.

The aircraft, a Boeing 747 cargo plane operated by Turkish freight carrier ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates, had arrived from Dubai just before 4:00 a.m. local time. Instead of staying on the north runway, it suddenly veered left, broke through fencing, and struck a patrol car that was driving along a road outside the runway, before both the plane and the vehicle ended up partially submerged in the sea.

The two airport security staff, aged 30 and 41, were inside the vehicle at the time. Divers recovered their bodies around five meters from the shore and seven meters underwater. One was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other died later in hospital.

Airport operations executive Steven Yiu stressed that the patrol car “definitely didn’t rush onto the runway”, and had been driving along its regular route outside the secure area. He added, "Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea."

Photos and footage from the scene showed the plane with its tail section broken off, the nose submerged, and an emergency slide deployed. The four crew members onboard managed to escape, using the emergency exits. All were taken to local hospitals and are in good health, according to Emirates.

There was no cargo onboard at the time of the crash.

An air traffic control recording shows that the pilot had been cleared to land on runway 07L and didn’t report any issues before landing. Officials also confirmed the weather and runway conditions were normal, and no distress signal was sent by the crew.

The Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority is now trying to determine what went wrong. Investigators are currently searching for the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder—the plane’s “black boxes”—which are believed to be in the sea near the crash site. Chief accident investigator Man Ka-chai confirmed the plane had followed its assigned landing instructions, but why it suddenly veered off course remains unknown.

The possibility of criminal negligence has not been ruled out, according to police.

The plane involved was reportedly 32 years old, and originally served as a passenger aircraft before being converted for cargo use.

ACT Airlines said in a statement that it is not yet clear why the plane had veered off the runway and an investigation is being carried out by the relevant authorities. The airline added it is cooperating fully with investigators and is in contact with the families of the victims.

The north runway remains closed pending further inspections, but the other two runways are still operational. At least 11 cargo flights were cancelled on Monday as a result.

This is the deadliest incident at Hong Kong International Airport since it opened at Chek Lap Kok in 1998. The last fatal crash occurred in 1999, when a China Airlines passenger flight crash-landed during a typhoon, killing three people.

The Hong Kong Transport Bureau expressed its condolences and said it was "saddened" by the tragic loss. Airport officials have promised to provide support to the families of the victims, both of whom had worked at the airport for over a decade.

As investigations continue, the focus remains on understanding why a routine landing became a deadly accident.