Seven Lost

A Ghana-registered Boeing 747-200 freighter went down before dawn in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Thursday, while on a flight from New York to Spain, according to local authorities. All seven crew members were reportedly killed in the accident.

The aircraft, registered to a British-owned company in Ghana, was reportedly carrying a load of tractors and had stopped in Halifax to pick up more than 50 tons of seafood and a load of fuel, according to witnesses.

CTV reports the tail of the aircraft appeared to have impacted the runway as the 747 was taking off. The aircraft reportedly "stumbled" to the end of the runway, where it broke apart.

The resulting fire burned for more than seven hours, as 20 fire trucks and at least 60 firefighters struggled to contain the flames. Power to the entire airport was knocked out for a time and the airport was closed. Seventeen flights were either canceled or delayed.

The weather was reported clear and witnesses said it was no factor in the accident, which occurred at 0400 local time.

Some witnesses said they saw an explosion prior to the tail's impact with the ground. For that reason, the RCMP is treating this as a criminal investigation.

Peter Lewis told the PA he was dropping his wife off at the airport when he saw two explosions.

"As we were approaching we saw what I thought was heat lightning because I told everyone in the car that we’ve got heat lightning in the sky," he told a local radio station. "That was only a quick one followed by a second one that was bigger. And then we seen a very bright orange light, and I mean bright. It took up the whole sky."

The 747-200 (shown below) was the only such aircraft in the MK Airlines fleet, according to the company's web site. Reports from the scene said there were two three-person flight crews on board, as well as a loadmaster, when the Boeing attempted take-off.

MK's Steven Anderson confirmed to the British Press Association that seven bodies had been recovered from the smoldering wreckage. A company team was en route to Halifax Thursday evening to assist in the investigation.

Boeing said it had also dispatched a three-person team to Nova Scotia from its plant in Seattle (WA). Canada's Transportation Safety Board has also dispatched a team of investigators to Halifax.

MK Airlines was established 14 years ago, flying both scheduled and unscheduled freight operations worldwide. Although the planes are registered in Ghana, the company's headquarters is in Britain. In addition to the 747-200, MK flies at least two variants of the McDonnell-Douglas DC-8.

Initial reports said this was the fourth crash involving an MK Airlines aircraft since the company was founded. At least one other crash was fatal, according to published reports.

FMI: www.mkairlines.com