Terrifying video shows BA plane's tail hitting runway twice | Tap to know more | Inshorts

A British Airways Airbus A321neo was involved in a dramatic landing sequence at London Heathrow Airport, with footage circulating on social media showing the tail of the aircraft appearing to strike the runway during the approach. The event centers on BA431, a flight coming in from Amsterdam, and the initial landing attempt was aborted, followed by a go-around before a second landing attempt.

According to the reporting, the aircraft then touched down safely on the runway on its second approach to Heathrow. Several outlets describe the sequence as a tail strike occurring on approach, with the left main gear contacting first and the tail or rear of the aircraft appearing to strike the surface during the subsequent phase of the approach, though the exact order of touch-down events varies in detail between sources.

The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) has opened an inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the landing, with British Airways stating it is assisting the AAIB as the investigation proceeds. The material does not specify any injuries or casualties resulting from the incident, nor does it provide passenger counts or the post-landing disposition of the aircraft.

Times Now reports that the event occurred as the aircraft approached Heathrow’s Terminal 5 area, and that after the aborted landing the crew executed a go-around before a second landing. The material notes that the second landing was completed successfully, and that winds were reported as northerly with gusts around 16 km/h as part of the approach conditions. Times Now also states that British Airways launched an investigation and the carrier would not comment further at that stage.

RNZ and 1News contribute independent mentions of the tail strike on approach to Heathrow, with RNZ highlighting the dramatic moment on the runway and noting that investigators’ findings or formal statements about causes were not included in the provided material. 1News reiterates that the tail strike occurred on approach, that the crew aborted the initial landing, and that the second landing was completed without incident, with BA assisting the AAIB inquiry.

Simple Flying, drawing on an AAIB bulletin, identifies the aircraft involved as a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig, in a separate, but related, report to the Heathrow event. In that account, the tail strike occurred on the first approach, followed by a go-around, and a second landing that resulted in the aircraft being written off. Simple Flying emphasizes that there is no information about injuries or the exact flight number or time in that version of the material.

The Sun’s coverage notes a British Airways jet experiencing a dramatic landing scare at Heathrow but provides limited specifics, describing the tail scrape during the approach and a go-around without detailing the aircraft type, flight number, injuries, or the precise sequence beyond the abort and subsequent approach. The Sun does not include corroborated statements from emergency services or investigators in the supplied material.

The AOL.co.uk and Nacionale summaries present additional context, with Nacionale citing a “white-knuckle” description of the approach and aborted touchdown, and noting that footage shows the bounce and lift-off during the go-around. The material does not confirm the aircraft type, flight number, or ultimate outcomes beyond the aborted approach, and it reiterates the tail-strike narrative without providing injuries or casualty data.

Patch’s related summaries reference a separate U.S. incident at Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport and are not directly connected to the Heathrow event, according to the Patch aggregation in the provided material, reinforcing that the Heathrow incident is treated as a distinct, ongoing investigation with no cross-link to that separate incident.

CBS News provides content about a separate incident involving a Piper PA-28-180D Cherokee using a highway as a runway after an emergency landing, unrelated to the Heathrow event. The report notes an earlier emergency landing on private property and describes the FAA and NTSB positions on investigations into that October 27 incident, with no injuries reported.