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EK521 pilot aborted landing before hitting runway

Dubai - UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority releases preliminary report

A preliminary report regarding the ill-fated Emirates flight EK521 from Thiruvananthapuram to Dubai has found that the pilot attempted to abort the landing after an initial touchdown, which resulted in the aircraft hitting the runway as its landing gear was retracting.
The report, which was released on Tuesday by the UAE's General Civil Aviation Authority, also indicates that the wind changed direction in the final moments before the aircraft was set to land.
EK521 - a Boeing 777-300 - was carrying 282 passengers and 18 crew members when the incident took place at approximately 12.45am on August 3.
All 300 people survived the incident, but a civil defence firefighter, Jassim Eissa Al Balushi, was martyred while responding to the incident.
In a statement, an Emirates spokesperson said the airline "welcomed" the preliminary report.
"As this is a preliminary report based on the facts gathered so far during the on-going investigation, it does not cover causes of the accident nor does it make final safety recommendations. We will review the report carefully," the spokesperson added.
"Emirates is also conducting its own rigorous internal investigation to proactively review what we know about the accident, and consider measures that may enhance our operations or procedures."
"We would like to take this opportunity to thank the investigating authorities for their continued commitment to the investigation of this accident. Emirates will continue to extend our full cooperation as they work towards the Final Report," the spokesperson concluded.
reporters@khaleejtimes.com