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An investigation has been launched after one of DHL Express' Boeing 767-300 freighter planes was damaged when it landed in Beirut, Lebanon.
A spokesperson for DHL Express told Newsweek: "At approximately 18:09 local time on 18 September 2023, a B767-300 BDSF [BEDEK Special Freighter] of DHL Aviation MEA (DHX) operating from Bahrain to Beirut was involved in an incident at Beirut Airport and sustained damage upon landing."
According to the spokesperson, the crew were "physically unharmed" and no other aircraft were involved in the incident.
"DHL Aviation is fully cooperating with the national investigation authorities who are leading this investigation. We are unable to share further information until the investigation has been concluded," the spokesperson said.
Photos of the DHL damaged plane were shared in a September 27 post on X, formerly Twitter, by the Lebanese Plane Spotters (@LBPlaneSpotters).
The images from the Lebanese Plane Spotters were also shared in a post on Reddit by user Unknown8128, with a title saying "DHL 767 wrinkled fuselage after hard landing." The post has had 4,200 upvotes since it was first shared six days ago.
The latest incident comes as a total of 40 accidents were reported among air carriers (ones that fly large, transport-category aircraft carrying passengers, cargo or both for hire) in 2019, according to data from the U.S. National Transport Safety Board (NTSB).
The report found that 42 accidents were recorded among commuter and on-demand carriers in 2019. Commuter and on-demand carriers refer to "certain aircraft with fewer than 10 passenger seats operating scheduled commuter services as well as aircraft operating on-demand passenger or cargo services," the NTSB noted.
According to Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), an Israeli aerospace manufacturer that has been converting Boeing passenger aircraft into freighter planes for several years, the BDSF is an advanced converted freighter plane that "delivers high operational value with advanced avionics, excellent performance, reduced fuel-burn and reduced maintenance costs."
In November 2021, DHL Express placed an order for nine additional 767-300 Boeing Converted Freighters (BCF), which marked its largest BCF order to date, in response to "the continued growing demand for express cargo driven by e-commerce," Boeing noted in a statement.
According to the post by the Lebanese Plane Spotters, DHL's freighter plane sustained damage after a "hard landing."
The post said: "The status of the plane remains unknown up until Boeing comes back with an answer whether the airplane could be repaired or written-off."
Newsweek has contacted Boeing and IAI for comment.
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About the writer
Soo Kim is a Newsweek reporter based in London, U.K. She covers various lifestyle stories, specializing in Read more