A Boeing 737-300 aircraft skidded off a runway in Senegal, causing injuries to at least 10 individuals, with four of them sustaining serious injuries. The incident occurred during takeoff for Air Senegal flight HC 301 bound for the Malian capital, Bamako, in the early hours of Thursday, according to Dakar’s Blaise Diagne airport.
While the pilot suffered minor injuries, most of the 78 passengers aboard the flight emerged unscathed. Operations at the airport were briefly suspended following the incident but have since resumed, with emergency services mobilized to evacuate passengers.
An investigation is underway to determine the causes of the crash, which occurred around 0100 GMT. Boeing and Transair, the private company from which Air Senegal chartered the plane, have yet to comment on the incident.
The incident adds to Boeing’s ongoing safety woes, as the manufacturer faces increasing scrutiny over its safety record. Recent incidents, including an Alaska Airlines Boeing 737 Max experiencing a door blowout shortly after takeoff in the US, have raised concerns. Boeing is currently under criminal investigation for this incident.
Furthermore, allegations from a former quality inspector at Boeing’s major supplier, Spirit AeroSystems, suggest that plane bodies routinely left the factory with significant defects. Spirit AeroSystems has refuted these claims, stating they “strongly disagreed” with the allegations.
