Bullet hits Cargolux freighter

A CARGOLUX 747-400 freighter was hit by small arms fire last week on its multiple-stop African route. A bullet hole in the fuselage was only discovered on the aircraft’s return to Luxembourg during its maintenance A-check.

The freighter left Luxembourg on 4 July and flew to Abidjan (Ivory Coast), then Accra (Ghana), and Abuja (Nigeria), before returning to Luxembourg on 5 July.

“The hole was found in an unpressurised area on the left side near the rear of the aircraft and did not endanger the safety of the crew at any time,” said Cargolux.

“It has been established that the hole was caused by a bullet. There is no evidence that the aircraft was targeted, but that cannot be ruled out,” Cargolux added.

Luxembourg’s Police Grand-Ducale forensic division is investigating the incident.

Small-arms fire at aircraft in parts of Africa, while not common, is a recognised hazard to pilots and airlines.

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