The preliminary probe into the Oct. 20 Hong Kong runway accident found the Boeing 747’s Number 4 engine accelerated after touchdown. The freighter, flown by ACT Airlines from Dubai and leased to Emirates, skidded off the runway and struck a security patrol car, killing two workers; the four crew members were unhurt. Inspectors found Engines 1–3 with thrust closed and reverse thrust selected, while Engine 4’s thrust lever was full forward. Investigators will examine systems, maintenance records and human factors and expect a full report within a year.
Preliminary probe: Number 4 engine spooled up after Hong Kong 747 landed in deadly runway crash
The preliminary probe into the Oct. 20 Hong Kong runway accident found the Boeing 747’s Number 4 engine accelerated after touchdown. The freighter, flown by ACT Airlines from Dubai and leased to Emirates, skidded off the runway and struck a security patrol car, killing two workers; the four crew members were unhurt. Inspectors found Engines 1–3 with thrust closed and reverse thrust selected, while Engine 4’s thrust lever was full forward. Investigators will examine systems, maintenance records and human factors and expect a full report within a year.
04:08 PM, 11/18/2025Society
Initial investigation finds one engine accelerated after touchdown
An initial probe into a fatal runway accident at Hong Kong International Airport on Oct. 20 found that the Number 4 engine of the Boeing 747 accelerated after the aircraft had touched down, the Air Accident Investigation Authority said in a preliminary report on Tuesday.
The freighter, operated by Turkey-based ACT Airlines on a flight from Dubai and leased to Emirates, skidded off the runway and struck a security patrol car; both vehicles subsequently went into the sea. Two workers in the patrol car were killed. The four crew members aboard the aircraft were uninjured.
The Transport and Logistics Bureau said evidence gathered so far indicates that the flight itself and external conditions — including weather, runway condition and air traffic control — were normal before the aircraft left the runway surface.
“The Number 4 engine thrust lever was in the full forward thrust position. Number 4 engine reverse thrust lever was fully forward,” the preliminary report said.
An inspection of the flight deck found thrust levers for Engines 1, 2 and 3 in the closed position, with their reverse thrust levers selected to the maximum. By contrast, the report states, the Number 4 thrust lever was positioned full forward.
Investigators said they will focus on why the Number 4 thrust lever was in that position, including whether a mechanical malfunction, maintenance issue or human factors contributed to a loss of control of that engine.
The Air Accident Investigation Authority will collect additional data and perform detailed analyses of aircraft systems and performance, engine condition, maintenance records and human factors. The agency aims to publish a full, comprehensive report within a year.
The investigation is being assisted by representatives from Turkey's Transport Safety Investigation Center, the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board and technical experts from Boeing.