An aircraft belonging to a Dubai skydiving company ran off a runway today while trying to land, though no one was injured, authorities said.
The Dubai Media Office said the Skydive Dubai twin propeller plane had just a pilot on board when it tried to land at the company's landing strip near the Dubai Marina and the Gulf city's famous man-made Palm Jumeirah island. It said the de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter "deviated off course, resulting in a minor accident."
An Associated Press reporter saw the Skydive Dubai aircraft at the end of its runway, its nose smashed into the ground near the breakers running along the water. Two civil defense fire trucks were parked alongside the aircraft. Two guards at Skydive Dubai blocked the AP from the crash site and declined to take a request for comment. Telephone numbers for the business rang unanswered.
In a Facebook post, the company blamed "as of yet unknown circumstances" for the plane going off the runway. It said it would be closed tomorrow.
"We are thankful our pilot is fine," the post read. "The incident is already under investigation by the authorities."
This is the second time this year an incident has struck the skydiving company. In July, the company said one of its planes carrying 15 passengers was forced to make an emergency landing shortly after takeoff in the desert outside of Dubai over a technical problem.
Photos shared on social media and published on local news websites showed smoke rising from the crashed plane and its fire-gutted fuselage.
