On an ordinary morning at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, a British Airways jet arriving from Amsterdam brushed the runway with its tail, twice, and the crew chose to break off and try again. The second landing was made safely, and that small margin is what keeps a moment like this from becoming a tragedy. Now the question moves from the cockpit and the control tower to the patient work of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, whose task is to explain not who erred but how a routine act of coming down to earth went briefly wrong. Until those findings arrive, the event remains a reminder
British Airways Jet's Tail Strikes Heathrow Runway Twice on Landing; Air Accident Probe Opened
On an ordinary morning at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, a British Airways jet arriving from Amsterdam brushed the runway with its tail, twice, and the crew chose to break off and try again. The second landing was made safely, and that small margin is what keeps a moment like this from becoming a tragedy. Now the question moves from the cockpit and the control tower to the patient work of the Air Accidents Investigation Branch, whose task is to explain not who erred but how a routine act of coming down to earth went briefly wrong. Until those findings arrive, the event remains a reminder of how much of flying rests on careful margins that most passengers never notice.
A British Airways Airbus A321neo was on its final approach from Amsterdam into Heathrow, one of the busiest airports in Europe, when its tail touched the runway. According to the source, it struck twice. The pilots did not force the landing. They climbed away from the airport, circled back, and set the aircraft down safely on a second attempt.
The moment did not pass unseen. A YouTube livestream run by FlightRadar24 and Big Jet TV captured the tail meeting the tarmac, so anyone watching that feed saw it as it happened. The A321neo can carry about 200 passengers, though the reporting does not say how many were on this flight.
The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch is now looking into the event. British Airways says it is helping the inquiry, notes that the aircraft landed safely, and says it cannot speak further at this stage.
Much remains unknown. The reports do not say what caused the tail to make contact, whether the jet was damaged, or whether anyone was hurt. The aircraft is not due to fly again for two days, and the AAIB's findings are where the answers will be found.
A British Airways Airbus A321neo coming in from Amsterdam was touching down at Heathrow, Europe's busiest airport, when its tail hit the runway. By the source's account it hit twice. The pilots then abandoned the landing and climbed away from the airport.
They brought the aircraft around and landed without incident on a second attempt. The A321neo can carry about 200 passengers. The source does not say how many were aboard this flight.
The UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the country's air crash investigators, is now looking into what happened. A British Airways spokesperson told UK media that the airline is assisting the AAIB with its inquiry. In the spokesperson's words, the aircraft landed safely, and the airline is legally unable to comment further at this stage.
The moment was not recorded only by those on board. A YouTube livestream run by FlightRadar24 and Big Jet TV captured the tail striking the runway, which means the event was seen as it happened by anyone watching the feed.
The reporting leaves several things open. It does not say what caused the tail to make contact, whether the aircraft was damaged, or whether anyone was hurt. It also does not say why the crew chose to go around, though the abandoned landing and the second approach are both described. Those questions fall to the investigators, and the airline has said it will not address them for now.
One practical detail is already known. The aircraft is not scheduled to fly again for another two days. What the AAIB finds will show what caused the tail strike, and the investigation is the place to look for that answer.
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