Duty-free booze runs amok on El Al flight

An errant cart of duty-free booze nearly caused a crash at Ben Gurion International Airport earlier this week during the landing of an El Al flight from Bangkok, Army Radio reported on Thursday.

The incident occurred early Tuesday morning as the plane’s wheels touched down during a routine landing.

While the airplane was still barreling down the runway at high speed, the cart and its cargo of alcoholic beverages got loose and rolled swiftly through the cabin. It smashed through the doors of the cockpit, surprising the pilots who were in the midst of landing procedures.

Multiple bottles of alcoholic beverages were shattered inside the cockpit, but the pilots were able to retain control of the airplane and no injuries were reported.

The flight carried some 450 passengers.

It was unclear how the cart become loose. Safety procedures require that all food and beverage carts be secured before landing. Both El Al and the Transportation Ministry said they would investigate the event and check whether the duty-free cart was overloaded. Investigators were also to check whether the cockpit door was locked as required.