Emirates SkyCargo Flight 9788

Emirates SkyCargo Flight 9788 was a scheduled international cargo flight operated by Air ACT for Emirates SkyCargo from Al Maktoum International Airport, Dubai, to Hong Kong International Airport, Hong Kong. On 20 October 2025, the aircraft operating the flight, a Boeing 747-400, suffered a runway excursion at Hong Kong International Airport at around 03:53 HKT (19:53 UTC). The aircraft collided with a ground vehicle and subsequently crashed into the South China Sea. The two airport security staff in a ground vehicle were killed, while all four occupants of the aircraft survived. The aircraft, which split into two pieces, was destroyed and written off.

Airport Authority Hong Kong later announced runway 07L, the incident runway, was fit for use after examination. It is the first fatal aviation incident to occur at Hong Kong International Airport since China Airlines Flight 642 in 1999.

Flight crew

The flight crew consisted of 35-year-old Captain Atilla Yilmaz, 44-year-old first officer Candemir Ulker, 35-year-old loadmaster Caner Durgut and 46-year-old aircraft maintenance engineer Muzaffer Tuydu. All of them were Turkish nationals.

Accident

The aircraft departed Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai on 19 October 2025 at about 16:59 local time (12:59 UTC). Takeoff and cruise went uneventfully. On 20 October, at about 03:53 HKT (19 October, 19:53 UTC), the aircraft landed at Hong Kong International Airport on runway 07L. The thrust reverser for engine four was inoperative. Upon landing, thrust reversers for engines one, two and three were activated and the aircraft had decelerated to about 90 kn when the number four engine spooled to 95% forward thrust, and the aircraft veered off the left side of the runway about 5000 ft past the threshold. During the excursion, the aircraft struck a patrol vehicle that was carrying out patrolling duty on the road outside the fenced perimeter of the runway. The aircraft came to rest in the sea with its tail section separated from the rest of the fuselage, being nearly submerged in the water with large cracks clearly visible aft of the rear pressure bulkhead. The Hong Kong Fire Services Department had received notification of the incident at 03:55 HKT and began the rescue operation two minutes later.

Emirates confirmed the aircraft was not carrying any cargo. The ground vehicle was also dragged five metres from shore and trapped seven metres under water. The aircraft did not send an emergency signal and did not respond to air traffic control. According to Flightradar24 data, the aircraft hit the water at about 49 knots. At the time of the crash, the wind speed was 4 knots with gusts of up to 21 knots. At least one of the aircraft's evacuation slides deployed successfully.

All four crew members on the aircraft survived and were transported to a hospital. One man in the vehicle struck was killed, while a second man was sent to North Lantau Hospital where he later died. The ground crew killed were a 41-year-old driver of the vehicle, and a 30-year-old passenger. The two ground staff had 7 and 12 years of experience respectively. At least 210 firefighters and first aid officers, 45 vehicles, ships and a flying service helicopter assisted in the rescue efforts. The affected runway was closed, but the two other runways remained in operation. 12 cargo flights were cancelled throughout the day while passenger flights were not affected.