British Airways A321neo scrapes tail during aborted Heathrow landing

A British Airways flight from Amsterdam struck its tail on the runway while attempting to land at Heathrow, prompting the pilots to abort the landing and climb away. The incident matters because tail strikes can damage an aircraft, and British Airways has opened an investigation.

Flight BA431, an Airbus A321neo, approached Terminal 5 at about 10.30am on Thursday and landed successfully on a second attempt at 10.49am. Footage showed the aircraft swaying before its wheels touched down and its tail scraped the runway; Heathrow’s forecast included north-westerly gusts of about 16km/h (10mph). The article also mentions a separate British Airways diversion in October after pilots reported damage to a window panel.