NOT TAKEN LIGHTLY

Boeing Plane Hits Light Poles in Near ‘Disaster’ Take-Off

There were 289 people on board.

A passenger jet narrowly averted “disaster” after it scraped along a runway, skidded across grass and hit light poles during a terrifying take-off. The 250-ton Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787, which was carrying 271 passengers and 16 crew, was beginning its flight from Munich to Hanoi when its tail hit the runway. The aircraft’s pilots only had 300 feet of runway left when they desperately pulled up, causing the tail to hit the ground. A cloud of dust billowed from the plane as it bumped along grass and hit the light poles during its ascent. According to the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV), the pilots reported that the aircraft stopped accelerating for around two seconds as it made its way down the runway. The plane later landed back in Munich. No one on board was injured. Juan Browne, an American Airlines Boeing pilot, said, “A rejected take-off this near to the end of the runway would have been a disaster.“ Jacques Jaurand, a retired pilot who previously flew with Air France Boeing, said, ”There may have been a problem with decision-making on the flight deck and also perhaps a problem with the aircraft itself.” The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation is looking into what happened.

See more of our coverage in your search results.

ADD THE DAILY BEAST ON GOOGLE

Will NealReporter

Got a tip? Send it to The Daily Beast here.