Airport staff injured after Boeing 787 smashes down onto tarmac at major European hub

Airport staff in Germany were left injured after a Boeing 787 dramatically collapsed onto the tarmac.

The incident at Frankfurt Airport, the country's largest, happened just moments before passengers were to board the Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner.

Video of the chaotic collapse showed the plane's landing gear buckle and its fuselage drop to the tarmac.

A number of cabin crew and ground staff were on board the plane as it plunged to the ground at 12.45pm local time.

Several were injured and received medical treatment, Lufthansa said.

The airline did not specify exactly how many people were injured, or how seriously.

Footage of the incident appeared to show the front landing gear inch forward before collapsing in on itself.

Ambulances and emergency personnel were seen around the plane after the incident.

In 2021, a similar incident occurred at London's Heathrow Airport, again involving the nose landing gear of a Boeing 787.

According to a report from the UK's Air Accidents Investigation Branch, the jet was undergoing maintenance at the gate when the landing gear retracted during testing, causing the nose to drop to the tarmac.

After investigation, it was determined a locking pin to prevent retraction had been inserted into the wrong position, allowing the gear to fold despite safeguards.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former US federal aviation crash investigator, said it was "very unusual" for the landing gear to fail while at a standstill, but cautioned that it was too early to speculate on the cause.

AIR CHAOS - READ MORE:

• Plane forced into emergency diversion after passenger from Ebola-hit country boards 'in error'
• British Airways hostess suspended for 'brainless' behaviour during hotel drinking session
• Rampaging passenger tries to jump out of jumbo jet mid-flight as horrified flyers look on

Potential factors could include prior damage, a mechanical factor or issues related to maintenance work, he added.

Boeing's 787 rollout has previously faced production flaws and quality-control issues, with shipments halted in May 2021 as US federal regulators examined documentation of work done on new planes

Deliveries were halted again in June 2023 as Boeing inspected fittings on part of the aircraft's tail.

The damaged Boeing 787 was delivered to Lufthansa in January, according to the Aerotelegraph website.

It was one of the newest additions to the airline's fleet and had operated 137 flights, according to plane-tracking website Flightradar24.

A spokesman for Lufthansa said: "While the aircraft was parked, the nose landing gear unexpectedly retracted."

The airline added it was "reviewing the exact circumstances together with the relevant authorities".

A Boeing spokesman said the company was aware of the incident and was supporting the airline, but did not provide further detail.