German agency provides details on Vietnam Airlines near-crash

Germany's Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) has provided further details about a near-accident at the weekend involving a Vietnam Airlines aircraft.

The Boeing 787-9 took off from runway 26L at 1:57 pm (1157 GMT) on Saturday and became airborne late, the authority said in a statement issued late on Tuesday.

"During the rotation phase, the tail touched the ground," the BFU said of the moment just before lift-off. Tyre marks were at the end of the runway that could be attributed to the aircraft.

The plane eventually turned around, landing on runway 26R back at Munich Airport at 3:58 p.m.

BFU experts are currently analysing the Dreamliner's flight recorders, a process that would still take some time, the agency said. It said that relevant authorities in Vietnam and the United States, where aircraft manufacturer Boeing is based, were also involved in the investigation.

The causes of the near-accident have yet to be determined, the BFU said, adding that it was still assessing "human and technical" facts, as well as organizational factors. A final report would analyse these facts, draw conclusions and identify the causes of the accident.

The BFU stressed that its findings would serve only to prevent any such accidents and incidents in future. "The investigation does not serve to establish blame, liability or claims," the authority noted.

Narrow escape from disaster

About 270 passengers and crew narrowly escaped disaster in the incident, according to experts.

The aircraft barely managed to take off after the pilot pulled the plane's nose up. Smoke was visible from the undercarriage and tyres had burst after it landed two hours after takeoff. Passengers and crew were uninjured.