Plane crashes on truck, killing driver

[Ben Longden]

Jan 26. The Age.

 

An airliner carrying 54 people crashed into a truck in the south of France today, killing the driver, the transport ministry said.

 

The incident happened at the Pau-Pyrenees airport after a bird flew into the Regional Airlines plane's engine as it was taking off, forcing it to make an emergency landing.

 

The 50 passengers and four cabin staff on the Fokker 100 escaped injury and were evacuated from the plane, which was flying for Air France between Pau and Paris' Roissy airport.

 

"The aircraft, which was taking off, had to carry out an emergency landing next to the runway after a bird flew into one of the engines," a statement from the ministry said.

 

The plane hit a small public works truck travelling on a road around the airport and the driver died in the accident, it said. In a separate statement, Regional Airlines said a second person in the vehicle was injured.

 

The Fokker came to a stop several hundred metres after hitting the truck.