An airport surveillance camera captured the final moments of the Azza Air Transport Boeing 707 freighter that crashed just after lifting off from Sharjah Airport (SHJ) in the United Arab Emirates this past Wednesday. The flight, destined for Kharthoum, Sudan (KRT), crashed near a golf course less than a minute after becoming airborne, killing all six crewmembers on board.
The video, captured by a surveillance camera at the airport and shown on a UAE news broadcast, shows the plane lifting off around 21 seconds in. About 10 seconds later, with the plane now above the field of view of the camera, a large object, possibly a piece of the aircraft, is seen falling to the ground. Moments after that, the seemingly crippled jet plummets back into sight while banking heavily, and then hits the ground wing-first, erupting into a massive fireball.
EDIT: The UAE Civil Aviation Authority said that the falling part was recovered and that it was an engine cowling, not an entire engine. The flight crew had also reported an engine failure on the #4 engine after becoming airborne.
(via Bangalore Aviation)
