A CATHAY Pacific jumbo which returned to Kai Tak airport after an engine fire landed 80 tonnes above the maximum landing weight, an interim report into the incident has revealed.
Twenty-one people were slightly injured after the four-year-old Boeing 747-400 was forced to return minutes after take-off when its No 2 engine caught fire.
The report, compiled by the Civil Aviation Department accident investigation team, said the extra weight due to nearly full fuel tanks caused the wheels to burst into flames on landing.
It also disclosed how the pilot tried to engage the aircraft's autopilot without success shortly after the engine exploded.
Cathay flight CX289 to Frankfurt took off from Kai Tak at 11.46 pm on May 28 with 398 passengers and 21 crew.
Two minutes later, at about 740 metres, the engine fire detection system in the cockpit indicated a fire in the No 2 engine.