DHL Airbus A300 suffers tail strike during dramatic landing at London Heathrow

A DHL Airbus A300-600F sustained a tail strike during a turbulent landing attempt at London Heathrow Airport on Sunday evening, prompting an investigation by the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB).

The aircraft, registered D-AEAG, was arriving from Leipzig, Germany (LEJ) as flight QY2212 and was filmed by aviation live streamer BigJetTV bouncing repeatedly on runway 09L before the crew initiated a go-around. During the sequence, the jet’s tail struck the runway, and its undercarriage briefly hit the tarmac before the pilots regained control.

After circling, the freighter landed safely on runway 09R about 20 minutes later. No injuries were reported, and the runway was temporarily closed for inspection.

Early assessments suggest that at around 40 feet above ground, a gust of crosswind destabilised the aircraft. As thrust was reduced and spoilers deployed, the pilots reportedly pitched up sharply to avoid a hard nose-gear impact, resulting in the tail strike.

Weather data from Heathrow indicated good visibility with a variable left crosswind, ruling out major meteorological factors.

The 34-year-old A300, powered by Pratt & Whitney PW4000 engines, began its life as a passenger aircraft with Japanese carriers before being converted for cargo operations with DHL.

The dramatic event coincided with two other aviation incidents over the weekend — a plane crash in Tarrant County, Texas, that caused a major fire, and a helicopter crash in Huntington Beach, California, that injured five people.