BA plane tail appears to strike runway during Heathrow landing

A British Airways passenger-carrying flight, BA431 from Amsterdam to London Heathrow, was on approach to the airport when the initial landing attempt was abandoned and a go-around executed, according to multiple outlets consolidating the event. BBC’s coverage notes the approach phase and the subsequent go-around, with no details given about injuries, damage, or the final landing outcome within its report. Times Now corroborates that BA431 initiated a go-around after an aborted landing before attempting a second approach, and that the eventual landing occurred later in the timeline.

RNZ describes the incident as a tail strike occurring on approach to Heathrow, with footage circulating of the moment on the runway. The RNZ report does not specify the aircraft type, flight number beyond BA431, time, or any injuries, and it states that there were no formal statements about causes in the material it received. Gulf News and Daily Mail similarly reference a tail-strike event on approach and the subsequent go-around, with the tail strike depicted in video footage, but do not confirm casualty figures or final dispositions in their summaries.

Simple Flying, citing an AAIB bulletin and additional details, identifies the aircraft involved as a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig on approach to Heathrow. This source states that the tail strike happened on the initial landing attempt, followed by a go-around, and on the second landing attempt the jet touched down again and was subsequently written off. Simple Flying notes that there is no information provided about injuries or the exact flight number or time in the material it reviewed, but confirms the write-off status and the involvement of the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch in the bulletin narrative.

Times Now’s account mirrors the tail-strike sequence and describes a dramatic moment during the live footage, with the left landing gear touching down first, the right following, and the rear of the aircraft appearing to strike the runway twice during what it calls a double tail strike. It states that BA431 then climbed away, performed a second approach, and landed safely around 10:49 am, while British Airways opened an internal investigation into the incident; no injury details or passenger counts are provided in that report. Gulf News repeats the Times Now timing and the 10:49 local landing time as part of its summary.

Daily Mail and Daily Express among other outlets emphasize the video-captured moment of the tail strike on approach and the subsequent go-around, with multiple reports identifying the DHL-branded freighter as the European Air Transport Leipzig A300-600F involved in the event. The Daily Mail’s summary reiterates the double-tail-strike description on approach, followed by a second touchdown and a write-off, without detailing injuries, flight number, or precise crew/passenger counts. RNZ’s coverage is cited as aligning with the tail-strike narrative but without confirming aircraft type or casualty details.

The AAIB is repeatedly cited across the reporting to support the narrative of the tail strike on the first approach, the go-around, and the second landing resulting in the aircraft being written off, as summarized by Simple Flying. The sources do not provide explicit information about emergency-response actions, such as fire service involvement, airport-operations measures, or recovery efforts, nor do they include preliminary conclusions beyond the aircraft’s write-off status. PYOK and Gulf News mention investigators being dispatched to the scene as part of the broader context, though those references do not add further specifics about responders or procedures.

Across the outlets, the Heathrow incident is consistently described as occurring on approach, with the tail strike happening during the initial landing attempt, followed by a go-around and a second touchdown that led to the aircraft being written off per the AAIB bulletin cited by Simple Flying. The only aircraft clearly identified in the supplied material as involved in the event is the DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig; there is no corroborated detail in the BBC or RNZ reports about the BA431 aircraft’s exact type, beyond the BA431 flight number referenced by Times Now and Gulf News.

In summary, the event centers on BA431’s approach to Heathrow where the initial landing was aborted and a go-around performed, with multiple outlets reporting a tail strike on approach, followed by a second landing during which a DHL A300-600F freighter operated by European Air Transport Leipzig was written off, according to an AAIB bulletin cited by Simple Flying. Various outlets highlight video footage of the tail strike and describe a dramatic sequence, while noting the absence of disclosed injury details or formal statements on causes within the provided material. The reporting consistently references an AAIB investigation, but stops short of supplying casualty figures, flight times beyond approximate landing around 10:49 am, or explicit emergency-response particulars.