A Lufthansa Cargo McDonnell Douglas MD-11, similar to the aircraft involved in the accident |
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| Accident summary | |
|---|---|
| Date | 27 July 2010 |
| Type | Under investigation |
| Site | King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia |
| Passengers | 0 |
| Crew | 2 |
| Injuries | 2 |
| Fatalities | 0 |
| Survivors | 2 (all) |
| Aircraft type | McDonnell Douglas MD-11 |
| Operator | Lufthansa Cargo |
| Tail number | D-ALCQ |
| Flight origin | Frankfurt International Airport |
| 1st stopover | King Khalid International Airport |
| 2nd stopover | Sharjah Airport, United Arab Emirates (planned) |
| Destination | Hong Kong International Airport (planned) |
Lufthansa Cargo Flight 8460 was an international cargo flight, operated by a McDonnell Douglas MD-11, which, on 27 July 2010, crashed upon landing at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.[1]
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The aircraft involved in the accident was a McDonnell Douglas MD-11 registered D-ALCQ,[2] msn 48431, line number 534. The aircraft was delivered to Alitalia in 1993 as I-DUPB Pietro Mascagni and converted to a cargo aircraft in 2004.[3] At the time of the accident, D-ALCQ had completed 10,075 cycles and accumulated 73,200 hours flying time.[4]
Flight 8460 was an international scheduled cargo flight from Frankfurt, Germany to Hong Kong via Riyadh Saudi Arabia and Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.[3] Black smoke was reportedly coming from the aircraft whilst it was descending to land at King Khalid International Airport, Riyadh, before it crashed and the fuselage broke in half.[5][6] The accident happened at 11:38 local time (08:38 UTC).[7] Minutes after the crash, Reuters stated that there were no casualties as a result of the accident, although the captain and first officer were being treated in hospital.[8] "The firefighters are containing the fire," a spokesperson for the General Authority of Civil Aviation told reporters.[9]
The METAR in force at the time of the accident was METAR OERK 270900Z 32014KT CAVOK 40/05 Q1006 NOSIG=[2][10]
The General Authority of Civil Aviation opened an investigation into the accident. It was confirmed that a fire had been reported by the crew of Flight 8460 before the aircraft landed. It was reported that a hard landing led to the aircraft breaking up and then departing the runway. It was also confimed that the aircraft was carrying flammable chemicals, which were loaded in the area where the fire started. Other cargo included weapons and other military hardware.[2]
In September 2010, the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Investigation (Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung) revealed that the aircraft had bounced three times on landing. The third bounce registered at 4.3g. It caused the fuselage of the aircraft to fail at a point aft of the wings. The main landing gear also failed after that bounce. The aircraft subsequently departed the runway and came to a halt.[11]