Emergency response deployed following  Kalitta Air Boeing 747 runway incident.


Key Points:

  • A Boeing 747 operated by Kalitta Air veered off the runway after landing at Ningbo Lishe International Airport on August 7, 2023.

  • Weather data indicates the presence of light thunderstorms and rain around the time of the incident.

  • Multiple airlines had previously diverted flights from NGB and subsequent flights were canceled.

ANCHORAGE — Upon its landing at Ningbo Lishe International Airport (NGB) in China, a Boeing 747-400F of Kalitta Air, identified by the registration N401KZ, experienced an unintended detour off the runway. The incident occurred at 3:22 PM local time (UTC -8) on August 7, 2023, resulting in the aircraft becoming ensnared in the grassy area adjacent to the runway.

Immediate aftermath visuals, disseminated through Twitter, captured the aircraft incapacitated at the runway's edge. The scene also depicted the swift arrival of emergency response vehicles.

Weather reports, provided by flightradar24.com, detailed the atmospheric conditions at NGB around the time of the mishap. The Meteorological Aerodrome Report (METAR) noted that at 3:00 PM local time (UTC -8), light thunderstorms and rain showers had passed over the airport. Winds were relatively mild, blowing from 270 degrees at 0.2 meters per second, although their direction oscillated between 210 and 320 degrees. A subsequent METAR reading, taken an hour after the incident, confirmed the persistence of these stormy conditions, suggesting that significant meteorological shifts were unlikely in the immediate future.

On the day of the runway incident, the Kalitta Air flight had initiated its journey from Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport in Alaska. The unsettling weather conditions had compelled multiple airlines, including China Eastern Airlines, Spring Airlines, and Hainan Airlines, to reroute their flights and abstain from landing at NGB. The flightradar24.com dataset also indicated a slew of cancellations ensuing later in the day.