Colombian investigators are probing a serious incident during which an Aerosucre Boeing 727-200 freighter struck part of the ILS array on take-off from Bogota.
The aircraft (HK-5216) was departing El Dorado airport’s runway 14L on 10 November, according to the Colombian regulator Aerocivil.
Upon lift-off it struck one of the localiser antennas of the ILS, but managed to become airborne.
Aerocivil says the aircraft burned fuel for about 1h 20min before returning to Bogota and landing on runway 14R.
The 727 had originally been bound for Valencia in Venezuela.
Examination of the aircraft revealed several areas of damage to the landing-gear and the left wing.
Aerocivil says technical personnel are evaluating the extent of damage to the ILS and its possible effect on airport operations.
“At the time of the occurrence, all airport systems and services were operating normally to handle the cargo flight,” it states.
No immediate conclusions have been reached over the cause, says Aerocivil but several aspects are being studied, including the airline’s planning process.
Aerosucre has been involved in at least two similar serious take-off incidents.
One of its cargo 727-200s collided with obstacles while departing Puerto Carreno’s runway 25 in December 2016, causing engine and wing damage which then led the aircraft to crash with the loss of four of its five occupants.
Investigators concluded that the airline’s flight planning and crew’s take-off performance calculations were inadequate, and that the pilots had not considered the tailwind component, among several other failings.
Aerosucre had also been the operator of a Boeing 737-200 freighter which struck a tree, also during departure from Puerto Carreno, in February 2022.
The inquiry found the 737 had been overweight for the temperature conditions during the runway 07 take-off.
Its prolonged lift-off delayed the climb and the aircraft hit a tree, sustaining damage and losing thrust in one engine. The crew managed to keep the jet under control and returned to the airport.
