Shocking video shows the moment a 747 Cargo plane loses control in the snow, plowing into several baggage carts at Chicago’s O’Hare Airport.
It’s no surprise that snowfalls can make for some treacherous driving conditions. We’ve all heard the horror stories – as well as watched the videos – of drivers losing control of their vehicles on roads covered with the white stuff. These are certainly heart-racing and harrowing moments, no doubt. However, it is certainly a rare sight to see a commercial airliner skidding across a snow-covered runway; much in the same manner that we would witness as a wayward SUV can slide haphazardly after losing control.
The China Airlines Cargo Boeing 747-400F suffered damage to both left-side engines in the crash as the massive jet plowed through ground equipment located on the O’Hare runway. This shocking accident occurred early Friday morning at the Chicago airport as the massive airliner touched down on the runway. The Cargo 747 took off from Taipei, Taiwan with one stop in Anchorage, Alaska. The massive airliner landed just fine, initially. However, things took a turn for the worse as the Boeing began to taxi towards its assigned location on the runway.
After hitting a slick spot on the snowy runway, the Cargo 747 collides with several baggage carts. The horrifying incident was caught on tape. The video even catches the moment one of the airliners jet engines sucks up an unidentified white object before crashing to a stop.
Frightening Crash Leads to Massive Damage on Cargo 747
As the jetliner slides among the baggage carts, very few objects are spared. And, the left side of the Boeing jet was damaged as it crashed into several items during the terrifying incident. According to reports, the damage to the massive airliner is far from minor. However, thankfully, there were no injuries in the crash.
China Airlines has stated that they don’t yet know what caused the crash, specifically. However, the reports note, the slippery and snowy conditions very likely factor into the events. The Chicago Airport saw over three inches of snow before the frightening crash. Other areas in Chicago saw up to eight inches of the white stuff. A few theories as to what happened to cause the crash have been suggested.
One theory states that the flight crew manning the 747 simply slid off the runway in the slippery conditions. Another theory notes that the ground crews may not have sufficiently cleared the taxiway before the jets landing. If this was the case, the 747 flight crew may have been unable to find the taxiways centerline. This would eventually lead the airline off-course while it was attempting to taxi.