This is the terrifying moment a cargo plane crashed into an airport antenna during take-off, forcing it to make an emergency landing.
Video footage showed a Boeing 727-200 aircraft operated by the cargo airline Aerosucre crashing into the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at El Dorado International Airport in the Colombian capital Bogotá.
The ILS, used to assist pilots during landings and takeoffs at night and in bad weather, was pulverized after the plane crashed into it.
The Boeing was on its way from Colombia to Valencia, Spain.
Despite the impact, the pilot managed to gain altitude and remain in flight for more than an hour.
The pilot circled the Tocancipá, Zipaquirá and Sesquilé areas to burn fuel and reduce weight so the cargo plane could return to El Dorado.
The Boeing 727-200 aircraft was operated by the freight airline Aerosucre
The plane crashed into the Instrument Landing System (ILS) at El Dorado International Airport in the Colombian capital Bogotá
The ILS, used to assist pilots during landings and takeoffs at night and in bad weather, was pulverized after the plane crashed into it
Despite the impact, the pilot managed to gain altitude and remain in flight for more than an hour
It took off and circled the sky above the travel hub for an hour
No further damage or injuries to the crew were reported
The plane landed safely around 5:42 p.m.
No further damage or injuries to the crew were reported.
Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority called the incident “serious” and immediately launched an investigation.
A spokesperson said: ‘The aircraft completed its take-off, consumed mid-air fuel and landed without further incident on the south runway of the same airport at 5.42pm.
‘The Technical Directorate of Accident Investigation is investigating all factors related to this serious incident, including the airline’s planning, with the aim of identifying causes and making recommendations that will help prevent future incidents.’
A technical team also assessed the damage to the ILS and its impact on airport operations, as reported by
To make matters worse, the Civil Aviation Department announced that severe weather conditions had caused delays to several flights across the country at 5:37 p.m.
Airlines such as Avianca, Turkish Airlines and Iberia had to cancel several flights due to weather conditions and the damaged ILS.