1981 747 aircraft crashes in Colombia

Foto: Héctor Fabio Zamora/ EL TIEMPO

A Boeing 747-209B (N714CK serial number 22446) built in 1981and operated by Kalitta Air has crashed near Bogotá in Colombia, killing three people on the ground. It seems that fire in one of four engines of the 747 caused the accident, just after taking off from El Dorado International Airport for a flight to Miami.

The plane, which was carrying flowers, had declared an emergency two minutes after take-off and was said to be attempting to return to the airport when it crashed at 3:55 am local time. All eight crew survived.

The crash is the second involving a Kalitta Air 747 in two months. In May another of the company’s 747s crashed whilst attempting to take-off at an airport in Belgium.

On October 20, 2004, Kalitta Air Boeing 747 (N709CK), with five crew members onboard, experienced mechanical difficulties with one of the four engines and diverted to land safely at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. No one was injured. It was discovered after landing that the number 1 engine had separated from the airplane as it climbed through 16,000 feet over Lake Michigan.

During the 2006 Israel-Lebanon conflict Kalitta Air made weapon resupply flights from the US to Israel, via Prestwick Airport in Scotland for refuelling, without authority from the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority. Scotland’s Crown Office considered, but eventually decided against, prosecuting Kalitta Air for two July 2006 flights carrying laser-guided bombs.

On May 25, 2008, a Boeing 747-209F/SCD (N704CK serial number 22299/462) from the company’s fleet overran runway 20 at Brussels Airport. The plane broke in two and came to a complete stop in a field bordering the runway. There were four crew members and one passenger onboard and no injuries have been reported. The aircraft was loaded with 76 tons of goods, half of it being diplomatic mail, and was supposed to take off to Bahrain.

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