Two months after a Kalitta Air B747-200F bound from Brussels to the middle east crashed on take off, a second Kalitta jumbo has crashed, this time in Bogota,Colombia. Though none of the crew were killed, two bystanders died from wreck related injuries. The air crew sustained injuries ranging from moderate to severe.
The air crew are said to have reported an engine fire prior to loss of communications. The US National Transportation board, Boeing and engine maker Pratt & Whitney will be sending representatives to assess the cause of the crash.
The aircraft was on a sub-charter to Centurion Air Cargo of Miami and carrying a cargo of fresh flowers. Flowers are a major export from Colombia to the US and other global destinations. About 900 metric tons of flowers move weekly from Colombia to the United States alone. Cargo jets full of flowers arrive at Miami International airport (KMIA) every week where the flowers are USDA inspected, customs cleared and processed for delivery all over the US. Amazingly, transit times from the finca (farm) in Colombia to your dinner table can take as little as 3 days.
This is a major air freight business with carriers like Centurion, Florida West, Tampa Air Cargo, DHL, UPS, FedEx, and others participating in the US trades. Martinair, KLM, Air France and others work the European trades. Even ocean carriers like Maersk have worked on products to serve this market.
These crashes coupled with the drag racing death of Scott Kalitta, son of Kalitta Air founder Connie Kalitta, have made this a very difficult period for the Kalitta family.
Kalitta Air is based in Ypsilanti, Michigan.
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