Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Grounded After Severe Tailstrike in Munich

A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner suffered a severe tailstrike and runway overrun at Munich International Airport in Germany, forcing an emergency return to prevent potential catastrophe.

The incident occurred on August 15 when Flight VN34, bound for Hanoi with hundreds of passengers on board, failed to achieve proper lift-off speeds. The aircraft, VN-A867, experienced a late rotation during takeoff and slammed its rear fuselage onto the tarmac before plowing through 120 meters of grass overrun area.

The pilots managed to stabilize the plane and dump fuel to avoid collapsing the damaged landing gear upon touchdown. After two low-level passes over the airport, VN-A867 executed an emergency landing on Runway 26R, stopping safely despite heavy smoke billowing from the left main landing gear.

The incident is currently under investigation by a joint team of Vietnamese and German authorities, who will examine the cockpit flight data recorders and load manifest to determine the cause of the overrun. The aircraft is expected to remain grounded for months due to the complex and costly repairs required to its composite fuselage.