Hong Kong Probes Atlas Air Emergency Landing, Causes 8-Hour Runway Shutdown

Authorities in Hong Kong are looking into why an Atlas Air freighter aircraft's landing gear failed during an emergency landing, causing one runway to close for eight hours and causing 450 flights to be delayed.

An aviation database states that Nippon Cargo Airlines is the owner of the unmarked cargo jet and that it is supplied to Atlas Air, which handles the crewing, maintenance, and insurance.

According to the South China Morning Post, local authorities are demanding that the airport reevaluate its backup plans for situations such to this and are wondering why it took so long to remove the downed cargo jet from the runway.

The Atlas Air-operated Boeing 747-400 cargo plane made a second landing back at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday morning, approximately two hours after it took off, when the crew discovered a hydraulic system malfunction that prevented the landing gear from retracting. When the aircraft landed on the north runway, it sustained damage to the wheel rims and two burst tyres. The aircraft was headed for Chicago, with a maintenance stop scheduled in Anchorage, Alaska. It was not functional for eight hours. All five crew members were unharmed. In addition, numerous runway pavement surfaces and airport ground light fixtures sustained damage that needed immediate attention.

To recover the aircraft and fix the runway, it was necessary to close the North Runway. The 330-ton aeroplane had to be raised during the rescue operation to replace its tyres. First, all cargo needed to be offloaded. The airport authority stated in an email that significant wheel damage and significant hydraulic leaks from the aircraft body hindered the lifting procedure, lengthening the time it took to change the tyres and tow the aircraft off the runway.

There are two runways in use at Hong Kong Airport.

According to the transcript of a press conference covering various themes, John Lee, the chief executive of the city, stated that the airport followed protocols for safely removing the aircraft, which involved first removing the cargo and replacing a set of tyres.

Atlas Air, based in New York, will have to provide a report regarding the hydraulic system failure to the airport and the Hong Kong Civil Aviation Department. To conclude what steps the airline, the airport, or other responders can take in the event of such situations in the future, Lee stated that authorities will carefully analyse the report.

"On June 17, the pilots of Atlas Air Flight 5Y4304 sensed a tyre problem with one of the aircraft's sixteen main gear tyres when they took off from HKG. After adhering to all protocols, the crew made a safe return to HKG. The airline provided FreightWaves with a statement saying, "We are fully cooperating with the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority." "At Atlas, we never compromise on safety, and we have complete faith in our maintenance and flight operations procedures. After repairs, the aircraft will be put back into service.

This month, Atlas Air has had tyre and gear problems for the third time. On June 11, pilots noticed a hydraulic problem on a 747-400, so they emptied the gasoline and made their way back to Seoul, South Korea's Incheon airport. Air mission alerts from Korean civil aviation authorities and reports by the Aviation Herald indicate that three tyres on one of the rear body gears were destroyed, and the aircraft was stalled on the runway for several hours. According to the aviation site, the landing gear's hydraulic line was severed before takeoff when the two tyres split apart. Images reveal that the aircraft's undercarriage sustained damage.

Nine days prior, on arriving at Los Angeles International Airport, the identical aircraft experienced a blown tyre. Nine hours later, the plane successfully taxied to the apron and took off for Mexico City.

The flight tracking website Flightaware reports that since the incident, the freighter has not taken off from Incheon.

An engine fire occurred on Jan. 18, as an Atlas Air 747-8 was climbing out of Miami and returning to the airport. According to the preliminary inquiry conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board, a maintenance contractor had neglected to shut the access plug a few days before the event while doing a borescope examination.

According to a Federal Aviation Administration incident report, an Atlas Air jumbo jet clipped a building with its wing at the Fort Lauderdale airport a few weeks ago. Despite the mishap, the plane continued on to Miami without any other incidents within a few hours. Thunderstorms caused the plane to make a diversion to FLL, which is located 30 miles north of Miami International Airport.

Aviation safety experts believe that while tyre bursts are not uncommon, a string of them in a short period of time would probably prompt an airline to review data to see whether there is an underlying reason that links the events and necessitates action.