Lufthansa Cargo accident in Riyadh

A Lufthansa Cargo MD-11 freighter had an accident on 28 July at 11.38 am (local time) in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The freighter, Flight LH 8460, was on route from Frankfurt to Hong Kong with stopovers in Riyadh and Sharjah.

The plane was piloted by what Lufthansa said was an experienced two-man crew who were able to leave the aircraft down the emergency slide and both pilots have already been contacted by phone and are currently being treated in hospital, according to a statement from Lufthansa. The MD-11 freighter, carrying 80 tonnes of cargo, was severely damaged, but a fire on board has been extinguished. The aircraft was delivered in 1993 and taken over by Lufthansa Cargo in 2004.

Up to the accident in Riyadh, it had logged 10,073 take-offs and around 73,200 flying hours and the freighter completed its last comprehensive maintenance check (C-Check) on 22 June 2009, an A-Check was carried out immediately prior to the flight to Riyadh.

The cause of the accident is still under investigation and a team of experts from Lufthansa Cargo is on its way to Riyadh. Lufthansa Cargo said it is cooperating closely with the authorities in Riyadh and will do its utmost to help clarify the reasons for the accident.