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British Airways jet scrapes tail at Heathrow

Desk Report | Published: Saturday, November 14, 2026
British Airways jet scrapes tail at Heathrow

Photo: Flightradar24


A British Airways flight from Amsterdam struck its tail on the runway during a landing attempt at Heathrow Airport on Thursday, The Telegraph reported.


Footage showed the rear of flight BA431 scraping along the surface at around 10:30 am as the Airbus aircraft came in to land at Terminal 5, the newspaper said. The aircraft swayed slightly from side to side during its descent. The left wheel touched the tarmac first, followed by the right, it reported.


The pilots aborted the first landing after the tail strike and took off again in a go-around. The aircraft landed safely at 10:49 am, The Telegraph said.


BigJet TV, which tracks aircraft and was streaming the landing, raised the alarm on X. “Caught live on our 24/7 camera, BA431 encountered a double tail strike upon landing at Heathrow Airport this morning. What happened here?” it posted. The Telegraph did not say whether the airline or investigators had confirmed the “double” strike.


The newspaper noted that the forecast for Heathrow that day included north-westerly winds with gusts of 10 mph. It did not link the weather to the incident, and the cause has not been established.


British Airways has launched an investigation, and the incident has been reported to the UK’s Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB), the report said.


“The aircraft landed safely,” a British Airways spokesman said. “We’re assisting the AAIB with its investigation and are legally unable to comment further at this stage.”


The Telegraph also noted that British Airways pilots abandoned a flight to Portugal last month after reports of a cracked window. That flight left Gatwick for Faro at around 9 am on October 13 and turned back after an hour.


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