World · Europe · 7 hrs ago
British Airways jet scrapes runway during aborted Heathrow landing
A British Airways flight from Amsterdam struck the runway with its tail while trying to land at Heathrow Airport in London.
The Airbus A321 Neo was approaching Terminal 5 when its rear scraped the tarmac twice, an event known as a double tail strike.
The pilots aborted the landing and climbed away in a manoeuvre called a go-around.
The plane landed safely on its second attempt, about 15 minutes later.
No one was injured, according to the Italian report.
The incident matters because the airline has opened an investigation into what happened.
British Airways is investigating the incident, but no further findings have been reported.
A British Airways Airbus A321 Neo struck the runway with its tail twice while attempting to land at Heathrow.
The pilots aborted the landing and climbed again before completing a second landing safely.
The flight, BA431, was travelling from Amsterdam, and all 220 passengers were reported uninjured.
The incident happened on Thursday, November 12, with the aircraft landing at 10.49am.
British Airways has launched an investigation into the incident.
- Who
- British Airways flight BA431, an Airbus A321 Neo carrying 220 passengers.
- What
- The aircraft’s tail struck the runway twice during an attempted landing. The pilots went around and landed safely on a second attempt.
- When
- Thursday, November 12, 2026. The aircraft landed at 10.49am.
- Where
- Heathrow Airport, London.
- Why
- Not stated.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
BA431 approached Heathrow’s runway after a flight from Amsterdam.
The aircraft’s tail struck the runway twice, and the pilots performed a go-around.
The aircraft landed safely on its second attempt.
- Flight
- BA431
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321 Neo
- Route
- Amsterdam to Heathrow
- Passengers
- 220; all reported uninjured
- Landing time
- 10.49am, November 12, 2026
3 sources
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Caught live on our 24/7 Camera BA431 encountered a double tail strike upon landing at Heathrow Airport this morning. What happened here?
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Caught live on our 24/7 Camera BA431 encountered a double tail strike upon landing at Heathrow Airport this morning. What happened here? #aviation #avgeek