A Cargolux cargo plane had a big problem at Luxembourg Airport on Friday 23 October. The plane was parked, and its left landing gear collapsed. The landing gear is the set of wheels under a plane. Nobody was hurt.
Read on to find out what Cargolux did next and what we still do not know.
The plane is a Boeing 747-8F. It is a very big cargo plane, and the F means freighter. Its registration is LX-VCF. The plane was standing at its stand, the place where planes park. It was not taking off or landing. The crew and the workers on the ground were safe.
Cargolux is a cargo airline from Luxembourg. Its big freighters carry goods around the world, so each plane is very important to the company. A cargo plane is heavy, and the landing gear must hold all of that weight on the ground.
Cargolux said the left main landing gear collapsed. The airline is working with the airport to move the plane.
After the accident, Cargolux ordered extra checks on every 747-8F. The airline said the checks are a precaution. A precaution is a step you take to stop a problem. Engineers will look at each plane before it flies again. The checks are only for the 747-8F. They are not for the older 747-400 cargo planes that Cargolux also flies.
We do not know why the gear collapsed. Cargolux said an investigation is under way. Investigators will study the plane and look for the cause. The airline has not said how long the checks will take.
Cargolux has had gear problems at Luxembourg before. About three and a half years ago, in May 2023, a different Cargolux 747 lost part of its landing gear when it landed. That was a different plane and a different type. Nothing in the reports links the two events.
The plane has not flown since Friday. For now, Cargolux wants to be sure that all of its 747-8F planes are safe, so it is checking them one by one. The cause of the collapse, a few days ago, is the most important question.
Check your understanding
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What happened to the Cargolux jet?
The article says the left landing gear collapsed while the plane stood at its stand at Luxembourg Airport.
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True or false: Cargolux knows why the gear collapsed.
The article says an investigation is under way and the cause is not known yet.
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Why do you think Cargolux checks every 747-8F?
The article calls the checks a precaution and says they happen before each plane flies again, so the aim is to find a problem early.
- landing gear (noun) – the wheels and legs under a plane. Typical use: “The left landing gear collapsed.”
- freighter (noun) – a plane that carries cargo, not passengers. Typical use: “The F means freighter.”
- precaution (noun) – a step you take to stop a problem. Typical use: “The airline said the checks are a precaution.”
- investigation (noun) – careful work to find out why something happened. Typical use: “Cargolux said an investigation is under way.”
Another cargo plane had a serious accident this year. You can read about it in Cargo Plane Overruns Runway at Miami Airport, Killing Five.
