Main wreckage of cargo plane recovered from waters after deadly crash

The main wreckage of a cargo plane that veered off a Hong Kong runway and plunged into the sea was recovered from the waters yesterday, days after the deadly crash.

The Boeing 747, flown by Turkey-based ACT Airlines from Dubai, skidded after landing last Monday and collided with a patrol car, sending both vehicles into the sea. Two workers in the car were killed. The four crew members on the plane were unhurt.

Salvage crews lifted the front part of the fuselage, adjusting its position in the air. Before the salvage operation, experts had conducted an underwater sonar survey, and the runway where the crashed occurred was temporarily closed.

The aircraft’s tail and other parts were lifted on Friday, as well as the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The devices were sent to a laboratory for preliminary examination, a government statement said.

Investigators were working to determine the cause of the crash. The aircraft was operated under lease by Emirates, a long-haul carrier based in Dubai.

Steven Yiu, the airport authority’s executive director for airport operations, earlier said that weather and runway conditions met standards during the crash, while mechanical and human factors were yet to be investigated. Kanis Leung, Hong Kong, MDT/AP