Plane Crashes a Few Minutes After Take Off from Sharjah Airport

A Sudanese cargo plane crashed shortly after take off from Sharjah International Airport yesterday.
The Boeing 707 was carrying cargo to Khartoum, but started having problems during take off.
The crash took the lives of all six crew members on board, including Captain Mohammad Ali Al Halthawi, who was a resident of Sharjah.
He leaves behind a wife and eight children, and relatives say he was a genuine, warm hearted man, whose house was always open to everyone.
Aviation experts and pilots are still debating the causes of the crash, but some suspect it could have been a result of too much cargo. Pilots say they have often seen cargo planes struggling to take off. Other potential causes are fuel leakage, and engine malfunction.
Eye witnesses, including another pilot, say it was obvious the captain realised his plane was not going to make it. Instead of letting it crash into a heavily populated area, he steered the plane so it nosedived straight into a clear stretch of road.
Onlookers watched in horror as the plane burst into flames. All this happened within minutes of taking off.
Such tragedies seem to be on the rise. With the world relying more and more on transport and technology, perhaps such incidents are bound to happen. That doesn’t make them any less shocking though, or any less tragic.
In many cases, there is someone in the situation who acts as a hero, and in this case, it was Captain Mohammad Ali Al Halthawi, who saved countless other lives, knowing full well he was giving up any chance of his own survival.
People like him make the world a better place for the rest of us, because they provide the silver lining in a situation as tragic and heartbreaking as this one.
Here’s hoping the families of all the deceased can find some peace and comfort as time goes on. Everyone’s prayers are going to be with them, that’s for sure.

Source: gulfnews.com