A Deutsche Lufthansa AG freight aircraft was destroyed after crash-landing in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, at 12:38 am local time today, a Lufthansa spokesman said.
The pilot of Flight LH8460 reported a fire in the cargo bay of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as he approached King Khaled International Airport, Lufthansa said. The plane had been due to continue to Sharjah, United Arab Emirates after leaving Riyadh. It was carrying 80 metric tons of freight when it crashed. “The cause of the incident is being investigated,” the airline said.
One of the airport’s two runways remains closed, according to Nils Haupt, a spokesman for Cologne, Germany-based Lufthansa.
The flight’s pilot and co-pilot have been taken to a hospital and the outlook for both of them is “good” Haupt said.
WHAT TO TAKE AWAY FROM THIS ARTICLE:
- The pilot of Flight LH8460 reported a fire in the cargo bay of the McDonnell Douglas MD-11 as he approached King Khaled International Airport, Lufthansa said.
- The flight's pilot and co-pilot have been taken to a hospital and the outlook for both of them is “good” Haupt said.
- One of the airport's two runways remains closed, according to Nils Haupt, a spokesman for Cologne, Germany-based Lufthansa.
