HONG KONG (AP) — The largest wreckage of a cargo plane that veered off a Hong Kong runway and crashed into the sea was recovered from the water Sunday, 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 plane's four crew members were unharmed.
A salvage vessel lifted the forward part of the fuselage and adjusted its position in the air. Before the recovery operation, experts had conducted an underwater sonar survey and the runway where it crashed was temporarily closed.
On Friday, the tail and other parts of the plane were lifted, as well as the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder. The devices have been sent to a laboratory for preliminary examination, a government statement said.
Investigators were working to determine the cause of the crash. The aircraft was leased by Emirates, a long-haul airline based in Dubai.
Representatives from the US National Transportation Safety Board and the Turkish Transport Safety Investigation Center, in addition to experts from Boeing, are also part of the investigation. The city's air accident investigation authority said it would issue a preliminary report within a month.
Steven Yiu, the airport authority's executive director for airport operations, said earlier that weather and runway conditions during the crash were up to standards, while mechanical and human factors remained to be investigated.
