Halifax Airport reopens after SkyLease freighter overshoots runway

Hours after a 747-400 freighter (28026) operated by Miami-based SkyLease Cargo skidded off the runway while landing at Halifax Stanfield International Airport (YHZ), the airport resumed operation following some minor delays. The four crewmembers aboard the widebody all suffered minor injuries and were taken to a local hospital, but are expected to recover. No cause for the 7 November runway overshoot has yet been determined.

The aircraft came to a rest on a patch of grass about 200 meters beyond the end of the 2,347-meter-long Runway 14/32, near the airport’s perimeter fence, according to data from Flightradar24. The 747-400F was heavily damaged in the incident, with completely collapsed landing gear, two sheared-off engines, and at least one of the remaining two engines destroyed. The fuselage was also bent and cracked open from the impact, according to CBC News. The airport was closed soon after the Wednesday morning incident but was re-opened later in the day, causing some delays in other flights that continued into the evening, said a statement from YHZ.