A Kalitta Air 747-200F crashed into a home shortly after take off from Bogota,Columbia killing three occupants in the house. Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan the Kalitta flight, operated for Centurion Air Cargo on wet-lease, was en route to Miami with a cargo of flowers.
The freighter was attempting to return to Bogota’s Eldorado International Airport after reporting an engine fire, according to Colombian civil aviation officials. At the time of the accident, the weather was calm with broken clouds andthe aircraft was 40,000 pounds below the maximum takeoff weight.
All eight crew aboard the aircraft survived the crash about 3 nautical miles west of Bogota but the aircraft was destroyed. The accident marked the second Kalitta 747-200F crash in under two months.
Kalitta Air lost a 747-200F in Brussels on 25 May when the aircraft over ran the runway during take-off and broke up. All those on board survived.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration dispatched personnel to the crash site near Bogota.
“Because they have had two recent accidents, we’re going to take a look at Kalitta’s operations,” said FAA spokeswoman Alison Duquette. FAA had no more specific information, but it is likely the agency will look at Kalitta’s maintenance records.