Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F plane crash
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Updated on
The Lufthansa Cargo MD-11F was performing a cargo flight from Frankfurt, Germany, to Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. 2 crewmembers and 80 tons of goods were onboard. The freighter crashed while landing at Riyadh airport. The captain received minor injuries, and the first officer has been seriously injured. The plane is damaged beyond repairs.
The MD-11F approached Riyadh airport, and hard-landed on runway 33L. The aircraft bounced on the first touchdown. This first touchdown was followed by two touchdowns. On the 3rd touchdown (g-load: 4.4g), the fuselage aft of the wing ruptured. This caused the fuel line to the #2 engine (central engine) and the APU to rupture. Fuel spread within the main gear area and ignited. The aircraft eventually ran off to the left of the runway, where the nose gear collapsed and the flight crew declared a Mayday. The airplane came to a stand still on soft ground just off the left hand runway edge. The two pilots exited the plane using emergency escape slides.
Fire fighters were able to extinguish the fire that broke out in the centre area of the aircraft, front and rear portion were visibly not consumed by the fire.
