Plane Strikes Runway Twice with Its Tail in Shocking Video During Landing Attempt

A British Airways Airbus A321neo was involved in a tail-strike incident during its approach to London Heathrow, according to summaries drawn from multiple outlets. The aircraft was operating BA431 on a flight from Amsterdam when the crew performed an aborted touchdown on initial contact and executed a go-around, after which a second landing was completed. Several sources indicate the event occurred near Heathrow’s Terminal 5 area and that the aircraft later landed safely in the late morning of the same day. The incident is described as a tail strike on approach, with no official statement within the provided material confirming causes at the time of reporting.

Times Now describes the sequence in detail: the aircraft approached Heathrow, aborted the first landing attempt, climbed away for a go-around, then carried out a second approach. In the live footage, the left main gear touched down first, followed by the right main gear, 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 continued the approach to a safe landing. The same source notes wind conditions as north-westerly with gusts around 16 km/h and states that BA431 subsequently landed safely at approximately 10:49 am. Times Now also reports that British Airways launched an internal investigation into the incident.

1News and NationalWorld report BA431 as a British Airways Airbus A321neo on approach to Heathrow, with a tail strike during the approach and a subsequent second landing. The outlets note that the flight originated from Amsterdam and that BA is assisting the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch with the inquiry. 1News mentions that a livestream from FlightRadar24 and Big Jet TV captured the tail-strike moment, and that the aircraft was not scheduled to fly again for at least two days following the incident.

BBC and Sky News consolidate the event as a tail-strike during approach to Heathrow, with the initial landing attempt aborted and a go-around performed before a second landing. BBC emphasizes the approach phase with no details provided about injuries or final casualty outcomes in its report, while Sky News adds a note about an emergency security response triggered by a handwritten message found on board, leading to checks of the aircraft, passengers, and their belongings. Several outlets corroborate the tail-strike narrative but do not specify injuries or the exact final disposition of the aircraft.

RNZ references a tail strike on approach to Heathrow but does not supply aircraft type, exact time, or casualty information, and it notes that there were no formal statements about causes within the material provided. Gulf News and Daily Mail summarize the tail-strike event on approach, describing the go-around and the subsequent second landing, but again do not confirm casualty figures or the final disposition of the aircraft in their briefs. Sky News’ account also notes the emergency response prompted by the handwritten message recovered on board, as part of its coverage of the incident.

A related thread in the material identifies a conflicting account about the specific aircraft involved. Some summaries, including those attributed to Times Now and Gulf News, describe BA431 as a British Airways Airbus A321neo. Other reporting references, notably Simple Flying and AAIB-focused material, identify a DHL-branded freighter, an Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig, linked to a similar tail-strike scenario at Heathrow on an initial approach, followed by a go-around and a second landing that was written off. The material states that these are overlapping narratives for the same tail-strike event but describes different aircraft types and operators, underscoring the importance of distinguishing BA431 from the DHL A300-600F in separate, though closely related, reports.

The Royal New Zealand outlet RNZ notes the tail-strike event on approach to Heathrow but does not provide timing, aircraft type, or casualty specifics, and it mentions that formal statements about causes were not included in the material. Across the reporting, authorities’ involvement is consistently mentioned: the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch is described as involved in the inquiry, with British Airways assisting, and the investigation process appears to be ongoing according to the sources. No official casualty figures or injury details are established within the supplied material.