British Airways Plane’s Tail Hits Heathrow Runway Twice During Landing – Investigation Launched

Updated 13 Nov 2026, 07:53 · First published 13 Nov 2026

Air accident investigators are looking into how a British Airways plane struck its tail on the runway twice while trying to land at Heathrow. The Airbus A321neo, flying from Amsterdam, aborted the landing, climbed away and landed safely on its second attempt. The moment was caught on a live aviation stream, and the video has been widely shared online.

What happened at Heathrow?

As the plane touched down at Heathrow, its tail scraped the runway, then hit it a second time. The pilots aborted the landing and took off again, before coming back round and landing safely. The incident was filmed by the Big Jet TV livestream, which runs cameras at the airport around the clock.

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Big Jet TV: BA431 double tail strike at Heathrow

A tail strike happens when the back of a plane’s fuselage touches the runway, usually because the nose is pitched up too steeply at landing or take-off. Aircraft that suffer one have to be inspected for damage before they fly again. The plane involved is not expected to fly again for two days.

What have British Airways said?

A British Airways spokesperson said: “The aircraft landed safely and we’re assisting the AAIB with its investigation.” The airline did not comment further. No injuries have been reported.

Sources: British Airways, Air Accidents Investigation Branch, Big Jet TV. Photo: a British Airways A321neo at Heathrow (file photo) – Alex Noble / Wikimedia Commons (CC0).