Cargo plane crashes in Dubai, crew feared dead

Gulf News

Dubai, 03 September 2010: A cargo plane crashed on Friday evening in Dubai, reportedly killing all on board. The UAE civil aviation authority said the bodies of the two crew members on board were recovered.

 

 

Witnesses told Gulf News the plane came down near the Al Ain Road near Silicon Oasis. Some witnesses said they had heard a very loud explosion near Global Village and that the plane had caught fire after the crash. Police cordoned off the area while ambulances were rushing to and from the scene. A huge plume of smoke filled the sky, a witness said.

 

A Gulf News reader said they were a group of friends who were swimming in their roof-top pool when one friend asked why planes fly so low in Silicon Oasis. It just missed a tower on a nearby building, followed by a huge explosion.

 

A Silicon Oasis resident said there was smoke and fire all around and that the sky was filled with smoke. The cargo plane belonged to UPS and crashed on its way to Dubai, a source at the airport told Gulf News.

 

It was not known how many people were on board, and no confirmation was immediately available from official UAE sources on their fate.

 

In October 2009, a Sudanese Boeing 707 cargo plane crashed in the desert outside Dubai, killing six crew members. Emirati regulators have banned the plane’s Sudanese owner, Azza Transport, from operating in the country.

 

Statement from UPS

A UPS cargo plane has been involved in an accident in Dubai.

 

"At approximately 12 p.m. EST, UPS Flight 6 from Dubai, UAE, to Cologne, DE, a 747-400 with two crewmembers on board crashed on takeoff. At this time, we have not confirmed any casualties."

 

"Safety is a key priority for UPS," said Airline & International Operations Manager Bob Lekites. "This incident is very unfortunate and we will do everything we can to find the cause," said Lekites. "Our thoughts go out to the crewmembers involved in the incident and their families."

 

"We will also release more information as it becomes available, in cooperation with government authorities. We will not speculate about the cause. Until then, we ask for your patience in this difficult time," the statement said.

 

Abbas Al Lawati, Staff Reporter adds:

 

American cargo plane crashes in Ruwaiyya area close to the intersection of Al Ain Road and Emirates Road. The crash is purported have taken place inside the military base located in the area. There are about 10 police cars waiting outside the base, with their lights flashing. Several more were seen going in and out of the base. The smoke rising out of the military base seems to have subsided. There is no news on the casualties. No official statement has been issued.

 

Movement at the military base. More police cars coming in. Authorities are asking journalists to move away from the entrance of the military base. The reason being given is to create space for some big vehicles coming in, which could be emergency vehicles.

 

An eye witness has confirmed to Gulf News that the American cargo plane crashed in the military base. A photographer by profession, the Arab man lives nearby. He said: "It was after the sun had set and was dark. There was a lot of noise and I rushed to the window. I saw the plane coming down rapidly; it burst into a fireball and fell inside the military area. I recorded the time - it was 7.39pm."