As the plane screamed down the runway an anomaly was detected by the pilots who aborted the takeoff despite the plane reaching around 125 knots. As a result, the brakes caught fire and several passengers were injured as they evacuated the plane.
A Cathay Pacific flight bound for Los Angeles rejected its takeoff attempt last week after the crew noticed an anomaly during takeoff. Flight CX-800 attempted to depart Hong Kong’s international airport (HKG) and was carrying nearly 300 passengers and a total of 17 crew.
According to one report, the aborted takeoff occurred while the plane had reached around 125 knots per. The high rate of speed caused significant damage to the brake resulting in a small fire and the deflation of 3 tires.
Cathay Pacific Boeing 777-300 (B-KPQ, built 2010) on flight #CX880 to Los Angeles carried out an emergency evacuation via slides at Hong Kong Intl AP (VHHH), China during which 18 people suffered injuries. Earlier the 777 aborted its take-off on runway 07R resulting in an… pic.twitter.com/xVmD7XqiRv
— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) June 23, 2023
The plane safely taxied off the runway but the crew was forced to initiate emergency evacuation procedures as a result of the aforementioned fire. According to View from the Wing, 18 passengers were injured during the evacuation process and while 11 required initial hospitalization most have been released.
Video has emerged from the mostly casual evacuation process where passengers were seen taking the time to record the incident, and in some cases bring their luggage – despite instructions not to do so. Bringing luggage during the evacuation process can cause significant delays and in more serious incidents could result in death or harm to fellow passengers unable to evacuate.
As more video emerges (via HKADB on Facebook) look at the state of evacuation (seems like a straggler) and a bag is in the way (also the passenger seems in no hurry while filming) @PaulWeatherilt pic.twitter.com/J6WEgCiMNe
— Danny Lee (@AirEVthingTRNSP) June 24, 2023
View from the Wing noted that Cathay Pacific released the following statement regarding the incident:
“Cathay Pacific’s flight CX880 departed from Hong Kong to Los Angeles at 10:12 this morning, carrying 283 passengers. Alternate arrangements have also been made for those with connecting flights to their destination. Nine of the eleven passengers who received treatment at hospitals have been discharged. Our colleagues will continue to provide support to the two hospitalized passengers and their families. We sincerely apologise for the disruption to our customers’ journeys.”
Hat tip to View from the Wing
