Two Lima, Peru, airport firefighters were killed Friday when a LATAM Airlines A320neo hit a fire truck that had apparently entered the runway as it was taking off. According to Flightradar24 the aircraft was nearing V1 and going 127 knots when it slammed into the truck, collapsing the right main gear, shearing off the engine on that side and piercing the fuel tank. The aircraft was heavily damaged but there were no serious injuries among the passengers and crew.
The truck was apparently leading others in response to another unrelated emergency on the field. The aircraft’s momentum carried it hundreds of yards down the runway before it came to a stop and the fuel ignited a major fire. Fortunately, the following fire truck was right there and was able to attack the flames immediately. So far there hasn’t been any public release of ground control recordings.
