Watch as a British Airways flight aborts after hitting its tail twice on Heathrow Airport runway 😯 Now that's what you call a bumpy landing! 🫣✈️

A British Airways flight involved in a tail-strike incident while approaching Heathrow's Terminal 5 area resulted in an aborted landing and a go-around, according to multiple outlets reviewing the same event. Times Now describes BA431, a British Airways service from Amsterdam to London Heathrow, as the aircraft involved, with footage from a livestream showing the moment the aircraft’s tail appeared to contact the runway during the initial approach. After the tail strike, the crew initiated a go-around and subsequently proceeded with a second landing.

Times Now reports that the aircraft touched down on the second approach with the left main gear first, followed by the right, and that the rear of the aircraft appeared to strike the surface twice in what they described as a double tail strike. The flight then climbed away from the runway, resumed the approach, and landed safely around 10:49 am local time. Winds were described as north-westerly with gusts around 16 km/h during the approach and landing sequence. British Airways launched an investigation into the incident, according to Times Now.

RNZ notes that a tail strike occurred on approach to Heathrow and mentions circulating footage of the dramatic moment on the runway, but its material does not provide aircraft type, exact time, or injury details, nor does it include formal statements about causes. The RNZ account aligns with a tail-strike description but does not specify operational particulars beyond the tail-strike narrative in their reporting.

Simple Flying cites an AAIB bulletin identifying the aircraft involved as a DHL-branded Airbus A300-600F operated by European Air Transport Leipzig, on approach to Heathrow. According to this account, the tail strike occurred on the initial landing attempt, followed by a go-around, and on the second landing the aircraft touched down again and was written off. Simple Flying emphasizes that the materials reviewed do not provide injury information or the exact flight number or time, but confirms the write-off and the AAIB involvement in the bulletin narrative.

A separate set of reports, including The Independent, describe footage captured by a Big Jet TV webcam showing the tail contacting the runway during the BA431 approach, with Flight-tracking data from Flightradar24 corroborating the go-around and later second approach leading to a safe landing. The Independent notes that the British Airways spokesperson said the aircraft landed safely and that the airline is assisting the AAIB with its investigation, while not commenting further at that stage.

Gulf News confirms the sequence of events for BA431, noting the tail strike during the approach to Heathrow near Terminal 5, the go-around, and the second landing, with the late-morning landing time around 10:49 am. The reporting describes the left main gear touching down first, followed by the right, and the tail contacting the runway twice in the tail-strike sequence, consistent with other outlets’ descriptions of the event.

Yahoo News UK consolidates the accounts by describing BA431 as a British Airways Airbus A321neo operating from Amsterdam to Heathrow that experienced a tail strike during its approach, with Times Now and Gulf News adding the go-around and second landing sequence, and with a safe final landing. The reporting notes differing aircraft-type identifications across outlets, and it reiterates that BA431 completed the second approach and landed safely, while BA launched an investigation into the incident.

NationalWorld similarly reports on BA431’s tail-strike event during the approach to Heathrow, stating that the pilots aborted the initial touchdown, executed a go-around, and then carried out a second landing, with a late-morning landing time around 10:49 am. Like other outlets, NationalWorld notes winds in the area and that BA launched an investigation, while pointing out inconsistencies in aircraft type identifications among sources, with some outlets listing an A321neo and others mentioning a DHL A300-600F narrative tied to AAIB reporting.

Across the material, there is no confirmation of injuries or casualties related to the incident. Several outlets specifically state that there were no injury details provided in their material, and others refer to the investigation being conducted by the airline in conjunction with the AAIB. The incident occurred during the approach to Heathrow, involved the tail of the aircraft contacting the runway surface more than once, was followed by a go-around, and culminated in a second landing that was reported as successful by most outlets. The various reports emphasize an ongoing investigation and do not publish final conclusions about causes, aircraft type confirmation beyond the described tail-strike sequence, or formal statements on injuries.