Cargo plane slides off runway and falls into sea in Hong Kong, killing two airport staff

escue workers approach a cargo aircraft that skidded off a Hong Kong runway on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025.

Chan Long Hei | AP

Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed early on Monday after a cargo plane from Dubai skidded off the runway on landing, collided with their security patrol vehicle and pushed it into the sea, the city’s airport operator said.

The Boeing 747 involved in the deadliest airport incident in the financial hub in more than 25 years also fell into the water and was partially submerged, but all four crew members on board escaped.

The airport security staff were not breathing when rescued from the water, with one confirmed dead at the scene and another later at hospital, said Steven Yiu, executive director of airport operations at Airport Authority Hong Kong.

Authorities still investigating cause of crash

The accident at the world’s busiest cargo airport involved a plane operated by Turkish freight carrier ACT Airlines on behalf of Emirates, the Dubai-based airline said in a statement.

Authorities are still investigating the exact cause of the crash, with weather, runway conditions, the aircraft and aircrew part of the investigation, Yiu said.

The accident occurred around 3:50 a.m. Hong Kong time on Monday (1950 GMT on Sunday).

An air traffic control recording available on LiveATC.net reviewed by Reuters indicated the cargo plane’s pilot confirmed plans to land on runway 07L where the crash occurred, but he did not report any technical issues on the recording.

“An incident happened at the airfield just now,” a female controller said minutes later.

A Boeing 747-400 cargo aircraft is seen after it skidded off the runway into the sea, following its suspected collision with a ground vehicle at the Hong Kong International Airport, in Hong Kong, China, on October 20, 2025.
Daniel Ceng | Anadolu | Getty Images

Man Ka-chai, chief accident and safety investigator for Hong Kong’s Air Accident Investigation Authority, confirmed air traffic control had directed the flight to land at the north runway, but added: “We didn’t receive any message requesting help from the pilot.”

Yiu said the security patrol car was in charge of patrolling the north runway along a road that was outside the runway fence. It was operating in its usual area and “definitely didn’t rush onto the runway,” he said.

The airplane suddenly veered left after landing on the runway before hitting the car, which “wasn’t a normal path”, he said.

Airport flights not affected

Flights at Hong Kong’s airport have not been affected, Yiu said, adding that the northern runway at the world’s busiest cargo airport, where the incident occurred, would reopen after safety inspections were complete.

The south and central runways are operating as normal, the authority said.

Photos taken after the accident showed a cargo aircraft with AirACT livery partially submerged in water near the airport’s sea wall with an escape slide deployed and the nose and tail sections separated.

Hong Kong’s Civil Aviation Department said in a statement on Monday that the aircraft had “deviated from the north runway after landing and ditched into the sea.”

Emirates said flight EK9788 sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong on Monday and was a Boeing 747 cargo aircraft wet-leased from and operated by ACT Airlines.

“Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard,” Emirates said.

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Hong Kong: two killed after cargo plane veers off runway into sea while landing

Authorities say plane collided with patrol vehicle, taking it with it as it ditched in sea

Helen Davidson and agencies

Mon 20 Oct 2025 09.17 BST

Two dead after cargo plane skids off Hong Kong runway into sea

5 days ago

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Martin Yip,in Hong Kong, and

Stuart Lau

Two Hong Kong airport security staff were killed when a cargo plane skidded off a runway, hit their patrol vehicle and ploughed into the sea.

Emirates flight EK9788 was arriving from Dubai at about 03:50 local time on Monday (19:50 GMT on Sunday) when it veered off the runway, crashed through perimeter fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the water.

The two people inside died. The Boeing 747 ended up partly submerged, but its four crew survived.

Officials are investigating the cause of the crash on the north runway. Two other runways remain operational. It is one of the deadliest aviation incidents in years at Hong Kong International Airport, which has a good safety record.

The investigation will focus on the unanswered questions over the path taken by the plane upon landing.

Airport officials have said they gave the correct instructions to the plane and that there were signs on the runway to guide aircraft.

Airport operations executive director Steven Yiu said the patrol car was, at the time, travelling on a road outside of the runway's fencing "at a safe distance from the runway".

The plane then turned away from the runway, crashed through the fencing and collided with the vehicle, pushing it into the sea, Mr Yiu explained.

"Normally the plane is not supposed to turn towards the sea," he said at a news conference hours after the incident, adding that the plane did not send out a distress signal when it was landing.

He stressed that the airport patrol car "definitely did not run out onto the runway".

The weather, runway conditions, the aircraft and its crew will all be looked at as part of the investigation, Mr Yiu said.

Divers managed to locate the bodies of the patrol vehicle's driver and passenger.

The two dead ground staff were aged 30 and 41, and had seven and 12 years' experience, respectively, officials said.

Neither was breathing when recovered from the vehicle, which was five metres (16.4 feet) from shore and seven metres under water. The younger of the two was confirmed dead at the scene, and the other later in hospital.

Hong Kong's transport bureau has said it was "saddened" by their deaths and expressed condolences to their families.

An Emirates spokesperson said in a statement to the BBC that the plane "sustained damage on landing in Hong Kong", adding: "Crew are confirmed to be safe and there was no cargo onboard."

It also said the Boeing 747-481 cargo aircraft was wet leased from, and operated by, Turkish carrier Act Airlines. A wet lease is an arrangement where one airline provides the aircraft, crew and insurance to another.

The four crew members onboard the plane had opened the aircraft's emergency doors shortly after the crash. They were spotted by fire service staff who arrived at the scene within two minutes and were rescued, authorities said.

Pictures show the plane had broken in half, with part of the fuselage submerged in the water with large cracks clearly visible.

At least one emergency evacuation slide deployed successfully.

Reuters

Part of the plane's fuselage is lying in the water off the runway

A police official told the media that criminal investigations could not be ruled out.

An official from the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) said it was still trying to locate the flight data recorder and cockpit voice recorder - also known as the black boxes - from the sea.

The affected runway would remain closed for the rest of the day, but the airport's other two runways remain in operation.

At least 11 cargo flights initially scheduled to arrive at Hong Kong International Airport on Monday have been cancelled, according to the Airport Authority's website.

It marks the second ever deadly incident at the airport since it moved from Kai Tak to Chek Lap Kok in July 1998.

In August 1999, a China Airlines passenger flight crash landed during a typhoon, killing three.

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