Jet Clips 3 Light Poles, Scratches Belly During Takeoff From Miami Airport
An agent discovered the downed light poles at the end of the runway.
— -- A Qatar Airways jet apparently clipped three light poles at the end of a runway during takeoff from Miami International Airport earlier this month, an airport incident report provided to ABC News suggests.
The plane, a Boeing 777 traveling from Miami to Doha, Qatar, sustained scratches to its belly, according to the report. (The airline describes the scratches merely as “damage near the rear cargo door.”)
The jet landed without incident 14 hours later in Doha, where the damage was discovered.
After being tipped off about the scratches, an airport agent in Miami discovered that three lights had been knocked down at the end of the runway at MIA.
Air traffic control audio indicates that the plane may have accidentally used only part of the runway, Miami station WTVJ reported.
Qatar’s Civil Aviation Authority is investigating the incident with help from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board.
“The safety and security of our passengers and crew is our foremost priority,” Qatar Airways said in a statement.
ABC News' Matt Hosford contributed to this report.
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