Eight Injured as Cathay Pacific Aircraft Makes Emergency Landing

Eight passengers of a Cathay Pacific airplane suffered injuries on Tuesday, April 13, when the aircraft made an emergency landing at Hong Kong International Airport because of engine failure. The Airbus A330 came from the Indonesian city of Surabaya.

Once the plane landed, the 300 plus passengers and 14 crew members aboard flight CX 780 were evacuated, according to the spokesperson of the Civil Aviation Department.

The eight passengers who were injured were taken to the hospital. This was according to Tony Tyler, chief executive of the Hong Kong airline, during a press conference. “It appeared there were some engine problems that the aircraft experienced on (landing).”

He added that investigators had begun analyzing the cause of the engine problem.

As stated by the Civil Aviation Department, a small fire suddenly developed in the engine after the plane landed. However, it did not take long for the fire to be extinguished by firemen.

According to Hong Kong government officials, six of the twin-engined planes exploded after landing while two of the right landing gears deflated. They added that officials from Britain and France will also participate in the investigation.

As a result of this incident, one runway at the airport was closed and 35 flights suffered delays.

The A330 aircraft which started serving Cathay Pacific in 1998, went through all the necessary service procedures and checks before taking off.