According to various news reports, Kalitta Air Flight K4-207 was departing Brussels Zaventem for Bahrain around noon local time when the accident occurred. Witnesses reported hearing a loud bang, after which the aircraft overran the end of runway 02. It was not clear whether the aircraft had completed its takeoff roll and begun to rotate prior to the overrun.
The aircraft came to rest a just inside the airfield's perimeter fence, several hundred meters beyond the threshold of the runway. The fuselage split open just aft of the wings, and photos taken at the scene appear to show another break just forward of the empennage, but this has not been officially confirmed.
The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has dispatched at team to assist the Belgian government in its investigation of this accident. The NTSB announced:
NTSB investigator Joe Sedor has been designated as the U.S. Accredited Representative, and he will be accompanied by technical specialist in the areas of flight operations, aircraft systems, structures, and powerplants. The U.S. team will also include technical advisors from the FAA, Boeing, and Pratt & Whitney.Updated information about today's accident will be posted here on Aircrew Buzz as it becomes available. [Links to updates are at the end of this post, after the video.]
The Belgian government is leading the investigation and will release all information on its progress.
A collection of still photos of the Kalitta Air crash at Zaventem Airport can be found on the Belgian website LeSoir.be. Video footage of the aftermath of the accident, from LiveLeak.com:
(If the video does not play or display properly above, click here to view it on LiveLeak.com)
Related:
- Kalitta Air crash may be associated with engine fire, AircrewBuzz.com, May 29, 2008
- Final report issued for Kalitta Air Boeing 747 freighter accident at Brussels, AircrewBuzz.com, July 11, 2009
