Air France Airbus A350 Tail Strike in Toronto

On Sunday, January 21, 2024, an Air France airplane had a problem when it landed in Toronto. It was an Airbus A350-900 that had flown from Paris to Toronto. During the landing, the airplane bounced and its tail hit the runway. After the hit, the pilots decided to go back up in the air and try landing again. The second landing went smoothly.

Luckily, no one on the plane got hurt during the first landing, but the airplane itself got damaged. The airplane involved was a 2-year-old Airbus A350-900 belonging to Air France, and it had the registration F-HTYH.

The moment of impact was caught on camera by 16-year-old aviation photographer Anthony Saiters. He shared this image on his Instagram account along with a caption saying: “The aircraft touched down and started decelerating as per usual. Then I notice that the nose isn’t coming down (the aircraft is now halfway down the runway at this point). Seconds later, the pilots attempt a go around and you can guess what happens next… had LiveATC playing in the back and all I can tell you is that the controllers were lost for words.”

What is a Tail Strike?

A tailstrike happens when the back part of an airplane, called the tail or empennage, touches the ground or another object. It can occur either during takeoff or landing and can be caused by various reasons.

During takeoff, if the pilot lifts the nose of the airplane too quickly before it has gained enough speed, the tail may scrape the runway. This could be due to mistakes by the pilot, unexpected factors like strong crosswinds, or if the airplane is carrying too much weight.

During landing, a tailstrike can occur if the airplane lands too hard or if the pilot tries to lift the nose suddenly. This could happen because of factors like misjudgment by the pilot, bad weather conditions, or problems with the landing gear.