Crashed Kalitta Air plane being cleared

2 June 2008

ZAVENTEM – In Zaventem in Flemish Brabant province, specialised firms have started to clear the wreckage of the plane that crashed at Brussels Zaventem Airport last Sunday.

The US carrier Kalitta Air broke apart close to a row of houses while trying to abort a takeoff.

Part of the cargo was hoisted from the plane on Saturday.

On Sunday, specialised firms at the command of the captain of the Zaventem fire brigade removed cargo from the plane’s lower deck and hoisted the middle part of the wreck.

Rail traffic will be interrupted on Monday to remove the Boeing 747’s cockpit. To facilitate the operation, the carrier’s tail wing was removed and its top was cut open on Friday.

It remains unclear how just long the whole operation will take. The plane carried 76 tonnes of freight which was specially secured on large pallet boards.

The cargo plane is said to be carrying diplomatic mail but the fact that US security staff have been guarding the wreckage non-stop since the accident has triggered speculations.

Meanwhile, the judiciaries have started their investigation into the cause of the accident. In view of the investigation, all cargo is weighed and compared with the items on the freight list

[flandersnews.be / Expatica]

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