Flight cancelled after pilot and two co-pilots injured in Lantau car crash
A United Airlines flight from Hong Kong to San Francisco with 327 passengers was cancelled after the pilot and two co-pilots were among six people injured in a road traffic accident on Lantau on Monday.
Some of the affected passengers took alternative flights on Monday while others were booked into a hotel in Hong Kong for the night before continuing their journeys with United Airlines on Tuesday, according to a United Airlines spokesman.
He said four crew members (the pilot and three co-pilots), an off-duty flight attendant and a member of her family were travelling in a private minibus from their hotel to Chek Lap Kok Airport when the accident occurred at about 11am.
The minibus crashed into road works and slammed into two parked trucks near Caribbean Coast on the North Lantau Highway on Lantau, according to police.
The captain, two of the co-pilots, the flight attendant, the attendant’s relative and the 66-year-old driver were injured in the incident. The third co-pilot was unhurt.
All the injured were treated for minor injuries at North Lantau Hospital in Tung Chung. They were discharged after receiving treatment.
The airline said the captain was transferred to a private hospital where he was under observation on Monday.
A police spokeswoman said the elderly driver passed a breathalyser test and officers from the New Territories South traffic unit were investigating the cause of the incident.
After the car crash, United Airlines cancelled its San Francisco-bound flight UA862, which was scheduled to leave Hong Kong at 12.30pm.
The airline said the customer service team at Hong Kong International Airport provided assistance to affected customers.
“We regret any inconvenience experienced by our customers,” its spokesman said.
