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A Dragonair plane and a delivery van collided at Hong Kong International Airport on Thursday afternoon, leaving a driver trapped in the vehicle with head injuries.
Flight KA691 was leaving an apron heading to the runway at shortly after 4pm, the Airport Authority said.
“The plane was about to leave Hong Kong for Penang when it collided with a [China Aircraft Services] vehicle near apron 25,” a spokeswoman said.
According to police, the engine slammed into the delivery van.
“The driver who was trapped on board the light goods vehicle was rescued. He was injured in the head and shoulder and taken conscious to North Lantau Hospital for treatment,” a spokesman said.
Dragonair sources said its aircrew were not thought to be at fault, according to an initial inquiry by the airline.
Footage of the incident shows the van driving directly towards the aircraft as it rolled forward headed for the runway to take-off for Penang.
The vehicle appeared to shift to the right of the plane at the last moment stopping the vehicle colliding into the belly of the plane, instead swerved right into the engine at the last moment. The vehicle was dragged by the aircraft several metres along the tarmac. At the point of collision, a member of the airport ground staff rushed to the front of the plane signally frantically to stop the plane.
The video appears to corroborate initial claims of the fault of the accident point to the driver.
The Civil Aviation Department said it would “follow-up” on the collision but said it would not mount a formal investigation.
Any probe will seek to determine whether: the driver was under the influence of a substance, intoxicated, or the driver had a medical issue or fell unconscious at the wheel, or was distracted by a device or gadget, or whether the accident was purely an accident or deliberate among several lines of enquiry.
Five fire engines and two ambulances were deployed after receiving a call at 4.19pm and the injured driver was freed by firefighters, according to the Fire Services Department.
The aircraft was an 18-year-old Airbus A330 plane, with a maximum capacity of 307 passengers.
Although the area was cordoned off, flight departures were not seriously affected, though some planes expecting to park in the vicinity were moved elsewhere around the airport.
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