- An Air Serbia plane hit a runway light during takeoff on Sunday, causing severe damage.
- According to flight data, the plane made a high-speed emergency landing after flying for about an hour.
- Images of the damage posted on social media showed cuts and large holes in the plane's fuselage.
A passenger plane in Belgrade, Serbia, hit a runway light during takeoff on Sunday, leaving a hole in the fuselage and forcing an emergency landing an hour later, local media reported.
According to Serbian aviation news agency Tango Six, Air Serbia flight JU324, operated by Greek airline Marathon Airlines and bound for Düsseldorf, Germany, reached halfway down the runway and had about 4,260 feet of space to accelerate. At a certain point, the plane began to move toward takeoff.
It is unclear why the Embraer E195LR took off with such a short runway distance, but Tangox reported that the crew told air traffic controllers they were confident the plane would arrive.
Planes like the E195 typically have 132 seats and typically require about 7,000 feet of runway to take off comfortably.
According to Tango Six, as the E195 was departing from Belgrade's Nikola Tesla Airport, the bottom of the plane collided with a runway light on the opposite runway.
The plane then made an emergency landing at the airport at 40 knots faster than normal, possibly because the flaps did not deploy, the newspaper reported.
FlightRadar24 data shows the E195 was traveling at about 164 knots at the time of touchdown, compared to its normal landing speed of about 125 knots.
By comparison, the maximum speed of the flight during the climb was 234 knots.
Video on social media Damage to the plane included tears and large holes in the fuselage. Another photo posted online Part of the fuselage was seen cut off from where the left wing was attached.
Air Serbia told TangoSix that there were no serious injuries. It was not immediately clear how many passengers were on board flight JU324.
Tracking data showed the plane continued to climb for 20 minutes after sustaining significant damage, reaching an altitude of 6,550 feet.
According to FlightRadar24, the plane immediately began its descent and then circled the area for 40 minutes before making an emergency landing.
Air Serbia and Belgrade Nikola Tesla Airport's media teams did not immediately respond to Business Insider's requests for comment outside normal business hours.
