Part of Cargolux Boeing 747-400 landing gear detached during emergency landing at Luxembourg

On 14 May, a Cargolux Boeing 747-400 freighter (registered LX-OCV) operated flight CV6857 between Luxembourg Airport and Chicago O’Hare, United States. After departure, the aircraft was unable to retract its landing gear. The pilots then dumped fuel and headed back to Luxembourg. On landing, the right body landing gear got detached from the aircraft. The 747 came to a controlled stop and was attended by emergency services. 

Shortly after the incident, Cargolux released a press statement: “Cargolux would like to confirm that one of its aircraft, B747-400F bearing registration mark LX-OCV, suffered a significant landing incident at Luxembourg airport on Sunday evening at 18:52.

The aircraft was unable to retract its landing gear on take-off from Luxembourg. As a result, it was forced to safely dump fuel in order to return to land at the airport. On its landing role its right body landing gear detached from the aircraft. The aircraft however came to a controlled stop and was attended to by the emergency services.

No persons on board nor on the ground suffered any injuries. The relevant authorities have been informed of the incident. The aircraft remains on the runway and recovery efforts are underway.”

As the airport was forced to close, several aircraft diverted to nearby airports. At around 01:00 (UTC+2) this morning, Luxembourg Airport opened again for air traffic. Flights resumed and authorities exceptionally allowed night flights.

“As of the morning, traffic should be back to normal,” Luxembourg Airport informs.