© Laurent Azzopardi/FacebookA video still from an eyewitness video by Laurent Azzopardi/Facebook
A small-engine aircraft has crash-landed in Safi after developing engine trouble the minute it took to air from the MIA runway, in a tragic accident that police say left five dead. Witnesses on site of the rescue described the scene as a pile of charred, black metal parts, owing to the scale of the explosion that ensued as the aircraft, a Fairchild Metroliner, crashed into the ground.
Military sources told Malta Today the small jet was departing to head to Misrata in northwestern Libya, on an anti-human trafficking mission. The EU border agency Frontex has confirmed that the plane was not one of its aircraft, and first reports suggest the crew was French. Earlier reports that the plane belonged to the Luxembourgish military have not yet been confirmed.
Comment: Misrata is 'ISIS HQ' in Libya. It's also crawling with American Special Forces. What were these French military officials really going there for?
A plane-spotter who witnessed the accident said he was just packing up his equipment when the plane crash-landed at around 7:30am. "It was an explosion, a right ball of fire," a visibly-shaken William Farrugia, 19, said.
The aircraft crash-landed on the road between Safi and Kirkop, right outside the MIA runway. The airplane was seen rising in the air and then nosediving back into the ground. The explosion was caught in dramatic footage by a motorist driving along the road.
The Fairchild Metroliner, registration number N577MX, was registered to Canda-based CAE Aviation, a major civil and defence contractor offering aircraft simulation and training to civilian clients as well as many defence and security agencies, including all US services.
In a statement, MIA said that rescue and fire services teams and the Civil Protection Department and Mater Dei Hospital were dispatched to the scene immediately. "Our priority at this time is with the passengers involved. The aerodrome is currently closed until further notice. Passengers are advised to check the airport website for further information."
Health minister Chris Fearne announced a psychological helpline - 25456900 - on a tweet, together with a walk-in service at the Paola health centre.
Cancelled flights
Air Malta said that a number of its flights were delayed as Malta International Airport remained closed following the plane crash.
The following flights that were scheduled to depart from MIA this morning will be delayed: KM612/3 (Malta-Rome-Malta), KM394/5 (Malta-Amsterdam-Malta), KM116/7 (Malta-London Gatwick-Malta), KM100/101 (Malta-London Heathrow-Malta) and KM306/7 (Malta-Munich-Malta).
An inbound flight from Catania was rediverted back to Catania while flights KM423 from Brussles and KM479 from Paris are waiting for MIA to reopen before leaving for Malta.
The airline said it was offering affected passengers free re-booking on any Air Malta scheduled flight, subject to availability, or full refund of the ticket.
The airplane
The Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner (later Fairchild Aerospace Metro) is a 19-seat, pressurised, twin-turboprop airliner first produced by Swearingen Aircraft and later by Fairchild. This type of aircraft has been involved in 22 other crash incidents, the one before the Malta accident being on 2 June, 2014 when a Aeronaves TSM Fairchild (Swearingen) SA226TC Metro II, registration XA-UKP, crashed shortly after take-off from Querétaro international airport, Querétaro State, Mexico.
Comment: EU foreign affairs chief Federica Mogherini said that European Union's officials were not involved in the deadly military transport plane crash in southern Malta, and the flight was not related to the bloc's activities.