A Boeing 747-400 freighter operated by ACT Airlines suffered substantial damage after its tail hit the runway while taking off from Dammam, eastern Saudi Arabia. The flight crew diverted to Jeddah.
The ACT Airlines aircraft, registered TC-MCT, was about to perform flight SV919 on behalf of Saudia Cargo from Dammam King Fahd Airport (DMM), in Saudi Arabia to Zaragoza Airport (ZAZ), Spain. However, as it was taking off from runway 16R, the jumbo freighter hit its tail onto the runway.
The pilots continued climbing and entered a holding pattern at 7000 feet near the airport. They eventually diverted to Jeddah Airport (JED), in western Saudi Arabia, flying for three hours with a damaged tail.
Photos on social media show the extensive damage suffered by the aircraft, with the aluminum skin completely grounded off, exposing the airframe structure.
2020-02-01: ACT Cargo (on ops as MyCargo AL) Boeing 747-400 (TC-MCT, built 2001) received severe tail damage in a take-off tailstrike accident at Damman Airport (OEDF), S-Arabia. Pilots safely diverted to Jeddah.@avherald
https://t.co/Dx7Lmz877y pic.twitter.com/YOQIDxR53T— JACDEC (@JacdecNew) February 2, 2020
An investigation was opened to determine the reasons behind the tailstrike. The aircraft should remain grounded in Jeddah while awaiting repairs.
ACT Airlines (former MyCargo) is a cargo airline based in Istanbul, Turkey. It operates a fleet of four Boeing 747-400 freighters. On January 16, 2017, a Boeing 747-412F cargo plane operated by ACT Airlines on behalf of Turkish Cargo was attempting to land in its destination airport of Bishkek-Manas (FRU), Kyrgyzstan. As it was attempting a go-around, the plane impacted with a concrete airport fence and ended its course in a nearby village. The four occupants and 35 people on the ground were killed.