One of European Air Transport’s Airbus A300-600 freighters has suffered a tail-strike while landing at London Heathrow.
Video images circulating on social media indicate that the aircraft – operating in DHL colours and arriving from Leipzig-Halle on 12 October – bounced slightly before settling on its main landing-gear.
The reverse-thrust translator sleeve then appears to begin opening before the twinjet pitches nose-up and its aft fuselage contacts the surface of runway 09L.
Its crew aborts the landing and, some 8s after the strike, the aircraft climbs away. The images were captured by the outlet Big Jet TV.
There is no information regarding the extent of any damage to the aircraft, which returned to land on the parallel runway 09R about 20min later. Nor have the circumstances of the occurrence been clarified.
Three A320-family aircraft on approach to 09R, which had been immediately in-trail to the A300, also carried out missed approaches.
Meteorological data from Heathrow indicates good visibility and no significant weather conditions at the time, but a variable crosswind component from the left.
Images identify the A300 involved as D-AEAG, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, originally in service as a passenger aircraft with Japanese carriers before being converted.
