A passenger plane was forced to slam on its brakes and abort take-off from Chek Lap Kok because a jumbo jet had taken a wrong turn and almost strayed on to the runway.
Aviation officials have asked China Airlines to explain how its Boeing 747 carrying 202 passengers ended up with its nose overhanging the runway on Wednesday last week.
China Eastern flight MU512, an MD-90 jet, had gone 600m down the runway and was about to take off for Ningbo in Zhejiang province when air traffic controllers warned it to stop. Passengers were thrown forward in their seats as it braked and pulled on to an exit.
An American passenger on the China Eastern flight told the South China Morning Post there was fear and confusion in the cabin. 'As our plane was thundering down the runway, we felt a forward jolt and the deadening of the engines,' he said.
'The plane slowly got off the runway and was soon surrounded by fire trucks.'
The passenger said panic broke out, with the crew unable to tell passengers what was going on.
'A long time elapsed before a shaky voice came on the PA to say that the plane had been instructed by the control tower to cancel take-off due to another aircraft on the runway.
