A DHL Airbus A300 plane sustained a tail strike while attempting to land at London’s Heathrow Airport on Sunday (October 12). As seen in dramatic footage captured by aviation live streamer BigJetTV, the large aircraft, with the registration D-AEAG, can be seen bouncing several times along the runway before the pilots quickly attempted a go-around, causing the undercarriage to hit the tarmac.
The UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch is now looking into the incident, and the runway was briefly closed to air traffic for a quick inspection. The 34-year-old DHL Airbus A300-600F, which had travelled from Leipzig (LEJ), Germany, to London (LHR), was scheduled to arrive shortly after 5pm on Sunday and attempted to land on runway 9L. The plane’s left main gear is seen touching down before the right, followed by some side-to-side bouncing. However, just seconds later, the plane was pitched up drastically. The aircraft then took off again and was sequenced for another approach, landing on runway 9R without incident around 20 minutes later.
According to aviationbusinessness.com, at approximately 40ft above ground level, a gust of wind appears to destabilise the aircraft. As the plane touched down, engine thrust had been reduced and spoilers were deployed. It appears the crew attempted to avoid a potentially hard nose gear impact by pitching up sharply.
Meteorological data from Heathrow indicates good visibility and no significant weather conditions at the time, but a variable crosswind from the left.
The A300 aircraft, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, was originally in service as a passenger aircraft with Japanese carriers before being converted.
This dramatic event comes as a plane crashed in Tarrant County, Texas, also on Sunday. The plane struck the ground and collided with multiple vehicles, including several tractor-trailers, sparking a fire and producing heavy black smoke visible for miles, according to local media.
Multiple fire trucks and emergency services rushed to the scene, but it is currently unclear how many casualties, if any, have been caused by the incident.
Meanwhile, a helicopter coasting above a popular Southern California beach suddenly lost control and began spiralling in midair, eventually losing altitude and slamming into a row of palms on Saturday (October 11). The Huntington Beach Fire Department said five people were hospitalised, including two who were in the helicopter and were “safely pulled from the wreckage.” Three other people on the street were injured.