Plane left with wrinkled fuselage after hard landing triggers investigation
An investigation has been launched after one of DHL Express’ Boeing 767-300 cargo planes was damaged while landing in Beirut, Lebanon.
A spokesman for DHL Express said this Newsweek: “On September 18, 2023 at around 6:09 p.m. local time, a B767-300 BDSF [BEDEK Special Freighter] of DHL Aviation MEA (DHX), operating from Bahrain to Beirut, was involved in an incident at Beirut Airport and sustained damage upon landing.”
According to the spokesman, the crew was “physically uninjured” and no other aircraft were involved in the incident.
Lebanese Plane Spotters @LBPlaneSpotters on X, formerly Twitter
“DHL Aviation is cooperating fully with the national investigative authorities leading this investigation. We cannot share any further information until the investigation is complete,” the spokesperson said.
Photos of the damaged DHL plane were shared in a September 27 post on X, formerly Twitter Lebanese Plane Spotters (@LBPlaneSpotters).
The Lebanese Plane Spotters’ images were also shared in a post on Reddit by user Unknown8128 with the caption “DHL 767 crumpled fuselage after hard landing.” The post received 4,200 upvotes since it was first published six days ago.
The latest incident comes as a total of 40 accidents were reported by air carriers (those flying large transport aircraft that carry passengers, cargo or both for hire) in 2019, airline data shows US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
The report found that 42 accidents were recorded on commuter and on-demand airlines in 2019. Commuter and on-demand airlines refer to “certain aircraft with fewer than 10 passenger seats used in scheduled passenger service and aircraft operating on-demand passenger or cargo service.” services,” the NTSB noted.
According to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), an Israeli aerospace manufacturer that has been converting Boeing passenger aircraft into cargo aircraft for several years, the BDSF is an advanced converted cargo aircraft that “provides high operational value with advanced avionics, excellent performance and reduced provides fuel”. -Combustion and reduced maintenance costs.
In November 2021, DHL Express ordered nine additional 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF), marking its largest BCF order to date, in response to “continued growing demand for express freight driven by e-commerce,” Boeing said noted in a statement.
Lebanese Plane Spotters @LBPlaneSpotters on X, formerly Twitter
According to the Lebanese Plane Spotters post, the DHL cargo plane was damaged after a “hard landing.”
The post said: “The status of the aircraft remains unknown until Boeing returns with an answer as to whether the aircraft could be repaired or written off.”
Newsweek has reached out to Boeing and IAI for comment.
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