Hong Kong probe finds cargo planes flew just 100 feet apart vertically
Expert says gap ‘very dangerous’ and well below normal 1,000 foot distance, as investigation describes incident as ‘serious’
The Civil Aviation Department also published the results of its initial investigation on Monday, which found air traffic control staff’s non-compliance with established procedures to be the primary cause of the planes ending up so close together in the skies above Hong Kong last month.
The Air Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA), an independent body under the Transport and Logistics Bureau, said the incident involving an MNG Airlines Airbus A330 and a Silk Way West Airlines Boeing 777 was “serious”.
Its report, also released on Monday, showed that the Airbus plane was cleared for take off on the central runway at 6.59am on February 27 after receiving instructions from staff in the north control tower. The aircraft, bound for Turkmenistan, was carrying five people.
Just 13 seconds later, the Boeing freighter was asked to take off on the southern runway by the south control tower. It also carried a crew of five and was heading to Azerbaijan.
The two planes shared a converging departure track, which normally required at least a three-minute separation in between take off, according to Hong Kong’s air traffic control procedures.