Emirates crash-landing caused by runway impact: report

The crash-landing of an Emirates Airline jet on August 3 was caused by the impact with the runway, UAE state news agency WAM reported on Tuesday.

"The Boeing 777-300 aircraft was destroyed following the impact with the runway and the subsequent fire," Xinhua news agency quoted General Civil Aviation Authority (GCAA) of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as saying in a preliminary report.

The report stated that following an attempted "go-around" by the pilot, the aircraft descended rapidly from a height of about 85 feet (26 meters) onto the runway, sliding for about 800 meters.

All of the passengers and crew were evacuated from the aircraft safely before fire consumed the cabin. One firefighter was killed while putting out the fire.

In accordance with international protocols of aircraft accident investigation, the preliminary report only shows factual information related to the accident, said WAM.

The final report, which will be issued when the investigation is finished, will contain analysis and conclusions to identify the causes, the GCAA said.

The plane was flying from Trivandrum to Dubai International Airport, carrying 18 crew members and 282 passengers from 20 countries.

--IANS

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