1 aircraft accident in Belgium since 2000

The Boeing 747 Cargo belonging to Michigan-based Kalitta Air was on a flight from Bruxels, Belgium, to Gulf state of Bahrain. The plane skidded off the runway at Brussels airport and split in at least two pieces. None of the five crew members was seriously injured. The Boeing 747 carried 76 tonnes of freight. While the plane was attempting to take-off on runway 20 (a 3000 x 50 metres (9800 x 164 feet) asphalt runway), the crew reportedly heard one or two loud bangs. The crew decided to abort the take-off, but the airplane continued past the end of the runway, broke in two, and came to a rest 300 meters (980 feet) past the end of the runway, close to a rail line and some 500 metres (1600 feet) from housing. Fortunately the Boeing 747 did not catch on fire. The weather was clear at the time of the accident, after light rains doused Brussels a few hours before the accident.