WATCH | Plane Tilts, Tail Hits Runway Twice: British Airways Flight's Terrifying Heathrow Landing

A British Airways Airbus A321neo operating flight BA431 from Amsterdam to London was involved in a dramatic approach to London Heathrow Airport, with the sequence captured during a livestream. According to Times Now, the aircraft approached Heathrow’s Terminal 5 area and the pilots aborted the initial touchdown, carrying out a go-around before attempting a second landing. The footage indicates the left landing gear touched down first, followed by the right, and the rear of the aircraft appeared to strike the runway surface twice in what was described as a double tail strike, before the crew climbed away from the runway and resumed the approach.

Following the aborted landing, BA431 climbed away and then performed a second approach, ultimately landing safely at approximately 10:49 am, as reported in the Times Now material. The approach occurred under north-westerly winds with reported gusts around 16 km/h. British Airways launched an investigation into the incident, according to the same source. The material does not specify any injuries or casualties, nor does it detail the passengers aboard or the subsequent disposition of the aircraft in the immediate aftermath.

A separate account from RNZ notes that a tail strike occurred on approach to Heathrow, with circulating footage highlighting the dramatic moment on the runway. RNZ states that investigators or formal statements about causes were not included in the provided material, and it does not specify the aircraft type, exact time, or injury details. The RNZ report aligns with the tail-strike narrative but does not confirm specific operational particulars beyond the tail-strike description.

Simple Flying, citing an AAIB bulletin and additional details, identifies the aircraft as a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig on approach to Heathrow. This report states the tail strike occurred on the initial landing attempt, after which the crew performed a go-around, and on the second landing attempt the jet touched down again and was written off. Simple Flying emphasizes that the material does not provide information on injuries or the exact flight number or time, but confirms the write-off status and the involvement of the AAIB in the bulletin narrative.

The Simple Flying summary reinforces the DHL A300-600F involvement, stating the tail strike happened during the first approach, followed by a go-around and a second landing that resulted in the aircraft being written off. It notes that no other aircraft were reported as involved, and that there were no stated injury figures in the material. The UK AAIB is cited as the source for the bulletin’s detailed sequence of events. The emergency-response specifics, such as fire services or airport operations, are not detailed in the supplied material.

AOL.co.uk presents the Heathrow incident as a tense, “white-knuckle” landing described by observers, with footage showing the aircraft bouncing on the runway and then going around. The AOL report does not provide details on the exact aircraft type, flight number, or the ultimate outcomes, and it corroborates the tail-strike narrative while not specifying injuries or casualty figures. RNZ’s tail-strike description is echoed, but again without formal statements on causes.

The Sun covers the Heathrow event in broad terms, describing a British Airways jet involved in a dramatic landing scare with reports of a tail scrape and a go-around, but without specifying the aircraft type, flight number, sequence beyond aborting the touchdown, or the outcomes. The Daily Mail similarly reports a dramatic tail-strike during an aborted landing and a double tail strike on approach, noting the aircraft was a DHL-branded freighter operated by European Air Transport Leipzig, and that the second touchdown led to the aircraft being written off; however, it also does not provide injury details or precise timing. Across these sources, the AAIB’s bulletin is cited by Simple Flying as the basis for the sequence, while other outlets describe the event without publishing exact flight numbers or casualty data.

1News reports an investigation underway in the United Kingdom after a tail strike during landing at Heathrow, characterizing the aircraft as a British Airways Airbus A321neo on approach from Amsterdam. The piece notes a tail strike during the initial approach, the crew’s decision to go around, and a second landing on the same flight with a safe touchdown. BA states it is assisting the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch and cannot comment further, and mentions FlightRadar24 and Big Jet TV livestream footage capturing the tail-strike moment. The 1News report does not provide injury details or confirm the aircraft’s disposition beyond the second safe landing.