1 Plane, Traveling Fast, Came to Rest in Lake
The UK Independent reports the West Atlantic Boeing 737 took off from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and landed at Montpellier around 3 a.m. on Saturday. Upon landing, it slid off the runway and came to a stop with its nose skimming a lake. Rescue crews evacuated three people from the plane. The airport was closed on Saturday and an investigation was launched, officials said. According to Flightradar24 data, the plane was traveling a very fast 160 knots (184 miles per hour) when it landed. Keep reading to learn more and see the video.
2 Shocking Photos From Scene
Photos from the scene show the plane dangling precariously into the lake near the runway, with its nose, forward fuselage, and starboard engine touching the water. Two fire trucks were dispatched to the scene. A rear door of the plane was open, and a ladder was propped nearby.
3 Airport Closed on Saturday
Montpellier Airport, one of the ten busiest in France, told flyers it was closed on Saturday morning because of a “technical incident.” “The location of the wreckage required the total closure of the airport,” the government agency Préfet de l’Hérault said on Saturday. “The Bureau of Investigation and Analysis (BEA) has opened a security investigation. Investigators were able recover the flight recorders. After examination of several options, it was decided to transport heavy lifting equipment in the next few hours to move the aircraft in optimal safety conditions.“ae0fcc31ae342fd3a1346ebb1f342fcb
4 Videos Show Plane Being Towed Out of Lake
The Bureau d’enquêtes et d’analyses (BEA), France’s air crash investigators, tweeted: “Accident of @BoeingFrance #737 registered EC-NLS operated by #WestAtlantic / runway excursion during landing on 24/09/22 at the airport of @mplaeroport/ 4 investigators @BEA_Aero on site / opening of a security investigation.”
Other videos posted on YouTube shows crews hauling the plane out of the lake with a crane and towing it to a cargo area at the airport.
Flights resumed by the afternoon.
5 Weather to Blame?
The Scotsman reported that the plane was trying to land in “stormy weather conditions.” Metro reported that the plane was “blown off the runway.”
