Terrified holidaymakers on board a low-cost flight have said they thought they were going to die when the Boeing 737 had to make an emergency landing after the tail collided with the runway during takeoff.
The accident took place on a FlyEgypt flight from the Red Sea resort of Hurghada to the Austrian city of Graz.
With just under 190 holidaymakers on board the Boeing 737-800, the plane’s tail reportedly struck the runway at Hurghada International Airport during take-off.
Passenger Hermann Sobe said: “Before takeoff, I noticed a strong smell of kerosene or something similar towards the back of the plane.
“After we took off, there was a loud bang and the plane did not manage to gain altitude.”
Passenger Kerstin Goisek said: “The plane kept going down and down, I was so scared my heart was beating out of my chest.
“I just thought, oh God what will happen now? Will I die or will I survive this?”
The incident came a week after the Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737 Max 8 crashed eight minutes after takeoff from the Addis Ababa Bole International Airport, killing 157 people on board.
Fortunately, the FlyEgypt pilots managed to turn the aeroplane around for an emergency landing at the airport in Hurghada.
All passengers were evacuated and no one was reported as injured.
A replacement plane eventually took the passengers to Austria around four hours later while a post-flight inspection showed substantial damage to the tail assembly.
The probe is ongoing.
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Story By: Koen Berghuis, Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder, Agency: Central European News
