Authorities in Turkey have launched an investigation after a FedEx Airlines Boeing 767 cargo plane crashed on a runway at the Istanbul Airport on Wednesday, May 8.
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According to Reuters, the aircraft was flying from into Istanbul from Paris Charles de Gaulle Aiport. A Turkish Transport Ministry official revealed the flight crew on board informed the control tower that the landing gear had failed to open. Tower guided the crew through the touched-down.
The Boeing 767 managed to remain on the runway. Airport rescue and fire teams raced to the scene to help. No one was injured during the ordeal.
The ministry official did not give a reason for the gear failure. The aircraft is a nearly 10-year-old freighter and is known as the most common cargo plane.
The official further explained that the transport ministry’s teams did conduct examinations at the scene as part of the investigation. Turkish transport minister, Abdulkadir Uraloğlu, also posted videos from the crash site.
FedEx stated it was coordinating with the investigation authorities and would be providing additional information as it is available.
The runway at the Istanbul Airport was temporarily closed to air traffic as the airport crew cleaned up the scene. Other runways at the airport operated normally at the same time.
The Boeing 767 incident comes less than a year after a Boeing 717 flown by Delta Airlines crew made a similar landing without a nose gear into Charlotte, North Carolina. That incident was later reported to be caused by a fractured component.
FAA is Now Investigating Boeing After Some Employees Allegedly Falsified Aircraft Records
The Boeing 767 occurred just days after it was announced that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opened an investigation into Boeing.
NBC News reports that the investigation was opened after the FAA learned that Boeing may have not completely required inspections of its 787 Dreamliner jets. It was alleged that some of the Boeing employees had falsified the aircraft records.
The FAA further stated that Boeing voluntarily revealed the potential incomplete inspections were meant to “confirm adequate bonding and grounding where the wings join the fuselage on certain 787 Dreamliner airplanes.”
“The FAA is investigating whether Boeing completed the inspections and whether company employees may have falsified aircraft records,” the FAA stated. “At the same time, Boeing is reinspecting all 787 airplanes still within the production system and must also create a plan to address the in-service fleet.”
Scott Stocker, who leads the Boeing 787 program, previously sent an email to employees about what was going on. He said a “teammate” in a factor saw something he believed was not done properly. He decided to speak up.
“The teammate saw what appeared to be an irregularity in a required conformance test in wing-body join. He raised it with his manager, who brought it to the attention of executive leadership.”
Stocker personally thanked and commended the teammate for doing the right thing. “It’s critical that every one of us speak up when we see something that may not look right,” he stated. “Or that needs attention