Passengers on a British Airways flight screamed after the aircraft's tail struck the runway during a dramatic landing attempt at Heathrow Airport. The packed Airbus A321neo, arriving from Amsterdam, made the bumpy approach at the UK's busiest airport yesterday.
The approach initially appeared normal as the plane descended toward the runway. After the landing gear touched down, however, the aircraft's tail leaned back heavily and scraped the tarmac for a split second. The plane bounced back before the rear fin almost made contact with the ground again, prompting the pilots to pull back up.
Go-Around and Safe Landing
The pilots performed a go-around above the airport before landing safely on the second attempt. The landing was captured on Big Jet TV's live stream, watched by thousands of viewers.
A source told the Sun that passengers screamed when the tail hit the ground. They said: 'This is most irregular. There were screams. No-one knew what was happening.'
The incident has since been reported to the Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB). Aviation tracking website Flightradar24 shows how flight BA431 approached Heathrow shortly after 10.30am, then increased altitude sharply again before landing at 10.50am.
Previous Tail Strike Incident
Incidents of double tail strikes into the tarmac are not uncommon. A cargo plane from Leipzig Schkeuditz Airport suffered a tail strike incident when landing at Heathrow on October 12 last year, a new AAIB report reveals. That aircraft was damaged beyond repair after its tail bounced on the tarmac, with footage showing a small flame shooting out on contact.
'Damage included buckling of the skin inwards at the frame, the rivets joining the skin to the frame having separated from the skin, and the tailskid having sustained abrasion damage,' the report said.
