Ethiopian AirlinesB767:IN EMERGENCY LANDING AT ARUSHA MUNICIPAL FIELD
Information was just received from a regular airline source in Tanzania that Ethiopian Airlines apparently had an unscheduled landing of a B767-300ER at the Arusha Municipal Airport around 13.15 hrs local time.
The airport’s runway is
reportedly only 1.620 metres long, or 5.315 feet, too short for regular B767
operations, so the question is now being asked what prompted this high risk
landing at ARK (IATA three letter code) / HTAR (ICAO four letter code).
The
airport’s elevation is given in official documents as 4.550 feet above mean sea
level or 1.387 metres. The aircraft, registered as ET-AQW was operating on
flight number ET815 from Addis via Kilimanjaro to Zanzibar and back to Addis.
From initial reports it appears that none of the passengers or crew have
been injured and that the plane made it to a complete halt just before the end
of the runway. The airport has also reportedly been closed for any other
flights in and out of ARK requiring the rescheduling of Precision Air’s flights
as well as a number of charters from and to the national parks.
While full compliments must be extended to the cockpit crew
for their skills to land the plane safely the reasons for the diversion will be
subject to a full air incident inquiry with all options presently kept open as
to the reasons for the unscheduled diversion. Stand by for more updates as and
when more news and additional information become available.
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