Lufthansa Employees Injured as Boeing Jet’s Nose Gear Collapses at Frankfurt

German airline Lufthansa reported several injuries after the nose gear of a Boeing jet collapsed at Frankfurt Airport. The incident occurred on Thursday while the Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner was parked at a gate.

The plane was about to board passengers for a scheduled flight to Los Angeles but remained unoccupied except for crew members and ground staff. The flight has since been canceled. Lufthansa stated that the injured workers are receiving medical care, and investigations are underway with relevant authorities involved.

The aircraft, delivered to Lufthansa in January, is a recent addition to the airline’s wide-body fleet. Since its commissioning in February, it has completed 137 flights, according to Flightradar24. Boeing has acknowledged the incident and expressed its support to Lufthansa.

Video captured at the scene shows the front wheels sliding, causing the nose to fall significantly as a ground crew member quickly moved to safety. The nose gear bay doors broke on impact.

Jeff Guzzetti, a former U.S. federal aviation crash investigator, described the nose gear collapse as “very unusual” while the plane was stationary. He emphasized it is premature to determine the incident’s cause. Investigators will review the plane’s maintenance records, system data, and its nose landing gear mechanisms.

Comparisons have been drawn to a 2021 incident at London’s Heathrow Airport. A similar collapse occurred on a Boeing 787-8 due to a mislocated locking pin during maintenance testing.

The 787 Dreamliner, a wide-body aircraft commonly used for long-haul flights, debuted in 2011. The involved variant can carry up to 296 passengers, subject to configuration.

The 787 program has encountered production flaws and quality-control problems, leading to delivery halts multiple times. Issues began in 2020 with complaints about small panel gaps in the carbon composite fuselage. Further complications included a pressurization bulkhead problem.

Boeing paused 787 deliveries in May 2021 pending U.S. federal regulator inspections of documentation. Deliveries resumed but faced delays again in June 2023 after identifying a nonconformance in the tail’s horizontal stabilizer fittings. Despite delays, Boeing assured that existing aircraft in service remain safe.

Reported by Yamat from AP, covering airlines and travel from Las Vegas.