Overview
- The nose landing gear on a nearly‑new Lufthansa Boeing 787‑9 folded while the jet was at a gate, causing the aircraft to tip forward and sustain heavy damage; the incident occurred on Thursday during pre‑boarding preparations.
- There were no passengers aboard and the scheduled flight LH450 to Los Angeles was cancelled, but 13 crew and several ground staff were present and five people were reported injured with most treated and at least two briefly hospitalized.
- Lufthansa defuelled and lifted the aircraft overnight, cycled the landing gear and moved the jet on its own wheels to a technical area for detailed inspection and repair planning after authorities cleared the scene.
- The Bundesstelle für Flugunfalluntersuchung (BFU) is leading the investigation with Lufthansa’s cooperation while technicians are looking at maintenance actions and the nose‑gear locking or securing mechanism as possible causes, a line of inquiry shaped by a similar 2021 Heathrow case involving a misinstalled locking pin.
- Airport operator Fraport says there are no major ongoing flight disruptions, but the repair of a heavily damaged 787 can take months and the probe’s findings could prompt operational and maintenance checks across operators using the same landing‑gear design.