ACT Airlines plane slides off Hong Kong Airport runway killing two employees

[mediumapproach]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/19/china/plane-slides-off-runway-hong-kong-intl-hnk

 

[911]

I am no plane expert, but it looks to be an old 747. I can tell by the hump. Why it slid off the runway, I have no clue. Maybe it was wet and had not so good tires on it. Vehicles do the same with bald tires. Hit the brakes and your vehicle can go off the road if you have bald tires.

I feel bad for the 2 workers that were shoved into the water. I’m sure they never expected something like that to happen to them.

 

[oldman]

ACT is a Turkish airline flying freight using Boeing 747’s. The 747 is huge inside and can hold tons of freight. Planes sliding off runways is something that seldom happens, but it does happen. Reasons are; poor runway conditions, poor weather conditions, poor tires on the landing gears, poor training with landing and keeping the plane on the centerline. I have also seen this happen when the plane lands too fast or the pilot didn’t set the autobraking system.

I have been to Hong Kong back in 1971 when they had the old airport (Kai Tak). I was there on business at the time when I worked for DuPont and before I began flying. The old airport was located on the Kowloon peninsula and was old with safety issues. The pilots that flew into the old airport told me there were times when they had to fly between buildings to get to the runway. Good Grief! Almost as bad as landing at San Diego.

According to the article from the BBC, the four crew members were all safe, but the two workers in the truck were riding behind a fence that ran a safe distance from the runway, but the plane went through the fence striking the truck with the two occupants inside and pushed it into the South China Sea. I remember speaking with an engineer while in HK and he had told me that every day billions of dollars flow through the city in cash, diamonds and gold.

 

[Been There]

I seen a military plane slide off a carrier after the arresting wire broke and the plane went into the Mediterranean.

 

[mediumapproach]

WOW, must have been heart stopping. One would think the carrier would have a rescue chopper hovering alongside the carrier for off the flight deck rescue and recovery.

 

[oldman]

I seen a military plane slide off a carrier after the arresting wire broke and the plane went into the Mediterranean.

When this happens do they recover the plane? Are the pilots able to eject?

 

[WhatInThe]

Saw one picture looks like the back end broke off. Cargo and weight part of the cause?

 

[Been There]

When this happens do they recover the plane? Are the pilots able to eject?

Whether the plane is recovered or not is difficult to say. It depends on what plane it is, the age of the plane and other factors, such as what arsenals and technology are on the plane. If it’s decided to recover the plane, the Navy sends out a recovery vessel with experienced divers to raise the plane. There are times when the plane is written off.

Are the pilots able to eject? Yes, with all the new technology, they are able to eject, even if the plane is submerged, it may be possible for the pilots to eject as long as the plane is equipped with the technology. If the plane submerges too deep, it may be impossible for them to open the canopy against the pressure the water creates.

I hope this answers your questions.

 

[oldman]

Thanks for your answers. I never flew in the military, but I have watched YouTube videos of pilots trying to takeoff on a carrier and ended up in the water. I had to think if the Navy recovered the planes or not. That’s a lot of money to walk away from.