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Lufthansa 787 Nose Gear Retracts Accidentally at Frankfurt Due to Missing Downlock Pin
A maintenance error led to the nose landing gear of a Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 retracting unexpectedly at Frankfurt Airport, injuring 23 people and causing substantial aircraft damage.
The gist
Missing nose gear downlock pin caused Lufthansa 787-9 gear retraction accident at Frankfurt, injuring 23 and damaging the aircraft.
Continuing coverage
All Frankfurt Airport →On June 4 at Frankfurt Airport, a Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 experienced an unexpected retraction of its nose landing gear during maintenance operations, resulting in injuries to 23 people and significant damage to the aircraft. The German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) reported that two people sustained serious injuries among those affected. This incident occurred while the aircraft was being prepared for a flight to Los Angeles following its arrival from Austin, Texas.
The event took place as two technicians were addressing an unresolved issue with the aircraft’s main landing gear doors. When they moved the landing gear lever as part of troubleshooting, the nose landing gear retracted immediately, despite procedures that should have prevented such a retraction during maintenance. The BFU investigation found that the nose landing gear downlock pin, a critical safety component designed to secure the gear in the down position, had not been installed prior to operating the lever.
Proper maintenance protocol requires landing gear downlock pins and their corresponding brightly colored warning flags to be installed before any gear lever operation to prevent inadvertent retraction. Investigators discovered the missing nose gear downlock pin along with its red warning flag inside a storage box in the avionics compartment, confirming it had not been in place during the test. Conversely, the four downlock pins for the main landing gear had been installed correctly, indicating partial compliance with the procedures.
When the nose gear retracted, the forward fuselage, including the nose and both engine cowlings, struck the concrete ramp below. This impact caused the forward fuselage to press down on a cargo high loader vehicle, inflicting damage to the loader and the cargo door area of the aircraft. An individual operating the high loader was injured in the process, adding to the total number of casualties associated with the incident.
Emergency and recovery crews responded by draining approximately 60,000 kilograms of fuel from the Boeing 787-9 to mitigate fire risk. They then used an air cushion system to lift the aircraft’s nose back to its normal position. During this recovery operation, the nose gear extended and locked properly, indicating the gear mechanism itself was functional once correctly positioned and supported.
Despite the BFU’s thorough investigation into the sequence of events and maintenance missteps that led to the accident, the agency has not yet issued a probable cause report. The inquiry remains active as the investigators work to fully understand all contributing factors and to recommend measures to prevent recurrence.
This incident underscores the critical importance of strict adherence to maintenance safety procedures, particularly the installation of downlock pins during troubleshooting activities involving landing gear components. Boeing 787 aircraft, like the one operated by Lufthansa in this event, feature complex systems where human factors in maintenance can have serious operational repercussions.
Lufthansa faces significant repair challenges following the substantial damage to the forward fuselage and engines, alongside addressing the consequences for staff and ground personnel injured during the accident. The findings from this investigation will likely influence future maintenance training and protocol refinements within Lufthansa and potentially across operators of the Boeing 787 worldwide.
The BFU’s ongoing investigation will provide further insights into how this oversight occurred despite established safeguards. The aviation community continues to monitor this case closely due to the severity of the outcomes and the potential lessons for maintenance safety and procedural compliance in commercial airliner operation.
Frequently asked questions
- What caused the Lufthansa Boeing 787 nose gear to retract unexpectedly?
- The nose landing gear downlock pin was not installed, violating maintenance procedures, which allowed the gear to retract when the lever was operated.
- How many people were injured in the Lufthansa 787 gear retraction incident?
- Twenty-three people were injured, including two seriously; one person operating a high loader was also hurt when the aircraft's nose struck the loader.
- What was the extent of damage to the aircraft from the gear retraction?
- The forward fuselage, nose, and both engine cowlings struck the concrete, causing substantial damage to the aircraft and the cargo door area. Approximately 60,000 kilograms of fuel were drained during recovery.
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Oregon launches comprehensive public drone pilot training and testing framework
The Oregon Department of Aviation released a training and testing template July 10 for public agencies that operate drones. This new template provides additional model standards that public agencies may adopt and customize for pilot qualifications, recurrent training and public-safety missions. Training Beyond Part 107 The FAA requires Part 107 certificate holders to complete online recurrent training every 24 calendar months, in an effort to maintain aeronautical knowledge recency. Oregon's document goes further by adding written test questions, practical flight evaluations, emergency drills, airspace-deconfliction exercises, privacy and public-records training, maintenance requirements and launch-decision checklists. "This is the next step in building safe and accountable public agency drone programs in Oregon," Oregon Department of Aviation Director Kenji Sugahara said. "A policy tells an agency what the rules are. Training and testing show whether people can actually apply those rules in the field. That matters when drones are being used near roads, bridges, neighborhoods, emergency scenes, firefighters, patients, helicopters, or disaster areas." Public-Agency Requirements Oregon law already requires public bodies to register public-use drones with the state aviation department and submit annual reports. Those reports must summarize how frequently the aircraft were used, explain the primary purposes of the flights and direct the public to the agency's drone policies. Educational institutions register as drone users rather than registering each aircraft. The template is designed for cities, counties, state agencies, fire departments, emergency managers, transportation departments and other public bodies. Optional sections address Drone as First Responder programs, fire and EMS support, search and rescue, emergency management, mutual aid, remote operations and FAA-authorized flights beyond visual line of sight. The department said the document does not create new flight authority, authorize law enforcement activity or permit operations beyond FAA limits.
Large drone collides with LAPD helicopter over San Fernando Valley, forcing emergency landing
A large drone struck a Los Angeles Police Department helicopter during a patrol over the San Fernando Valley, damaging the aircraft's windshield and forcing the crew to make a precautionary landing. The Airbus AS350 was flying near the 101 Freeway and Reseda Boulevard in Tarzana shortly before 15:00 local time on July 7, 2026, when it collided with the drone, according to the LAPD and a preliminary Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) report. The pilot landed safely at nearby Van Nuys Airport (VNY). Neither of the two officers aboard the helicopter was injured. Authorities described the drone as measuring approximately three feet by three feet, considerably larger than most hobbyist drones. Investigators have not identified its make or model or the person operating it. The collision happened as firefighters battled a brush fire near the Encino Reservoir. An LAPD official said the drone operator may have been attempting to record the fire, although authorities have not determined whether the aircraft was deliberately flown near the helicopter. The FBI and FAA have opened investigations. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass called the incident "completely unacceptable" and warned drone operators against interfering with police and firefighting aircraft. "This is a warning to anybody who's flying a drone that interferes with Fire or Police: We will find you, you will be arrested, and you will be prosecuted," Bass said. Drones operating near wildfires can put a halt to aerial firefighting operations as crews cannot safely share the airspace with an unidentified aircraft. The FAA generally limits drones to 400 feet above the ground, with additional restrictions around airports and emergency operations. Authorities have not released photographs of the damaged helicopter or video showing the collision. The drone operator remained unidentified as of July 13. The incident is the latest collision involving a drone and a crewed aircraft in US airspace. The FAA receives thousands of reports each year involving drones operating near airplanes and helicopters, although confirmed midair collisions remain relatively rare.
Jeppesen ForeFlight Launches AI-Powered ClearNOTAMs to Simplify Flight Planning
One of the most challenging parts of being a pilot is gathering "all available information before a flight" as required by regulation. This is especially true when it comes to sifting through information dispersed in the form of Notices to Airmen (NOTAMs). Jeppesen ForeFlight is trying to make obtaining and understanding the information easier with ClearNOTAMs, an app that takes the raw NOTAMs, delivered in all capital letters and abbreviations, and decodes them to allow a pilot to sort them by relevance to the flight. According to Cole Crawford, director of product at Jeppesen ForeFlight, ClearNOTAMs provides pilots with an English translation of every NOTAM, while also conveying each one's real operational impact, so the pilot knows what to expect without altering the underlying meaning or fully replacing the original. READ MORE: Tecnam Forms Alliance With Jeppesen ForeFlight READ MORE: Jeppesen ForeFlight Introduces Emergency Glide Mode "ClearNOTAMs helps pilots spend less time deciphering information and more time understanding it," said Crawford in a news release. "By transforming complex NOTAM language into clear, concise summaries, we're making one of the most important parts of flight planning more accessible and actionable." AI Enabled ClearNOTAMs has been in development for a little over a year, according to Crawford, and part of that time was spent making sure the artificial intelligence-powered NOTAM intelligence was up to the task of correctly interpreting and summarizing NOTAM terminology. This includes building extensive automated cross-checks into the system for accuracy to maximize the quality of every translation. The outcome is a plain English summary that becomes the primary text for each NOTAM. In addition, the original coded version may be viewed alongside the translation with just a tap, making it easy for pilots to verify any translation's accuracy and view the original at any time. ClearNOTAMs is available through ForeFlight. The program has customizable filters so the pilot can separate categories such as airport, airspace, runway, etc., or by the NOTAM issuing body such as local or regional. The user can sort the NOTAMs by most recent update and effective time and "pin" specific NOTAMs to the top of the list with a tap, or collapse them with a double tap as they see fit. Three-Month Trial Individual ForeFlight users are invited to test-fly ClearNOTAMs through subscription plans following EAA AirVenture Oshkosh (July 20-26) for a complimentary three-month trial. Following the trial period, the feature will be available only with ForeFlight's Premium plan for individuals, Business Performance for flight departments, and MFB Performance and MFB One for military and government customers. The other user interface enhancements to NOTAMs, such as filtering, sorting, pinning, and collapsing, will be available with all ForeFlight subscription plans.
Vertical Aerospace Delays Valo eVTOL Air Taxi Certification to 2029
American Airlines and other carriers who placed conditional orders for U.K. manufacturer Vertical Aerospace's Valo, an eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) air taxi, will not receive the aircraft until 2029 at the earliest. Vertical—considered the U.K.'s leading air taxi developer by virtue of being one of the only firms conducting routine flight testing—said Monday in a business update that it "re-baselined" its certification program, through which it seeks concurrent Valo type certification from European and American regulators. The new timeline puts certification in 2029, a one-year slip from the 2028 target the company announced in late 2024. "This timeline reflects the rigor of certifying an entirely new class of aircraft under an established regulatory certification framework," the company said in Monday's update. Vertical added that it will discuss certification in more detail at July's Farnborough International Airshow and in an August 13 business update. Vertical unveiled Valo as its flagship air taxi in December. It plans to establish networks across cities such as New York, Miami, and London, ferrying passengers between airports, city centers, hospitals, and event venues. The company is certifying Valo to the European Union Aviation Safety Agency's (EASA) special condition for VTOL (SC-VTOL) standard in the enhanced category, which would permit operations over populated areas. SC-VTOL Enhanced requires manufacturers to meet the same 10 -9 standard—denoting one catastrophic failure per billion flight hours—required of commercial airlines. Michael Cervenka, Vertical's chief commercial and technology officer, in January told FLYING that the FAA will "literally sign the [type] certificate on the same day." The agency will hold small eVTOL air taxis to the lower 10 -8 standard, so Cervenka said achieving concurrent approval will be like "passporting." "That gives us, effectively, a certification moat in Europe, where we're going to be the only aircraft certified to that highest standard, able to fly over populated areas, all the kind of real high value use cases," he said. Vertical had been targeting 2025 certification and entry into service until '23, when it pushed the timeline back to '26. U.S. air taxi manufacturers such as Archer Aviation and Joby Aviation have similarly seen their certification targets slip over the years, in part because the FAA modified the pathway for eVTOL models. Some of them no longer offer firm timelines. Still, a divide is forming between the American and European air taxi manufacturers. Joby and Beta Technologies are already flying conforming, preproduction prototypes—a phase Vertical does not expect to begin until next year. And while the FAA is overseeing expanded testing of precertification air taxis at airports nationwide, the European regulatory environment has been more stringent, leading some of Vertical's competitors to go bankrupt . Illustrating the divide, Beta Technologies has flown electric prototypes across the U.S., Europe, New Zealand, and Japan, while Vertical has been limited to activities at Cotswold Airport (EGBP). The company on Monday said it finally obtained expanded privileges from the U.K. Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that will open up flights away from Cotswold. When Are the Air Taxis Coming? U.S. eVTOL manufacturers toward the beginning of the decade communicated that their aircraft would begin flying passengers in 2024, give or take one year. As that timeline approached, they began to face the realities of type certification and operating at losses, prompting them to revise their expectations. Most recently, Joby gave a target of late 2026 for the launch of commercial air taxi service in Dubai, available on the Uber platform. But that timeline is now in question amid war in the Middle East. It has been a similar story for Vertical. The U.K. manufacturer estimated in September that it would require $700 million to complete Valo's certification. In April, it finalized a financing package worth up to $800 million and achieved Valo's first piloted transition from hover to forward flight and back again. The company is flight testing two prototypes under a CAA permit to fly authorization. American manufacturers have more aircraft in the sky, though, in part due to a crash that Vertical suffered during an uncrewed prototype flight in 2023. The incident permanently grounded the prototype, called the VX4. The company returned to flight testing with a second VX4 in 2024 and in June introduced a third and final prototype. Per Vertical's Flight Plan 2030 vision plan, released in December 2024, the third VX4 was supposed to debut in '25. It is intended to be followed by seven conforming, preproduction aircraft that Vertical will use for certification testing with the CAA. The Flight Plan also targeted the VX4's first piloted transition in 2025, but that did not happen until April. Vertical CEO Stuart Simpson said during an earnings call in May that the milestone came "slightly late" and "nudges up the risk" for certification in 2028. He reiterated that the target "remains absolutely doable" but earlier in the call said it was "under additional risk." In addition to delaying certification to 2029 on Monday, Vertical said it would complete Valo's critical design review (CDR) by the end of the year, a slip from Simpson's previous mid-2026 target. CDR would finalize the air taxi's baseline design and allow Vertical to begin building conforming prototypes for certification testing. Silver Linings Despite the delays, Vertical also announced some progress Monday. Ahead of CDR, it plans to open an assembly facility for early production aircraft in the coming months. By year's end, it aims to activate a battery production plant. Combined with the CAA's expanded permit to fly, those moves will position Vertical for expanded testing once the preproduction aircraft are ready. Vertical also said Monday that propulsion system evaluation for a planned hybrid-electric variant, designed for a range of up to 1,000 miles, is underway on a dedicated test rig. It expects to fly it in the first half of 2027 and announce a long-term turbogenerator supplier this year. It is possible that the hybrid-electric Valo enters service before the passenger air taxi variant. American manufacturers Archer, Joby, and Beta have similarly developed hybrid-electric variants of their flagship models as they pursue earlier opportunities in cargo and defense. In the near term, Vertical could bid for contracts—such as those the aforementioned companies have secured with U.S. military branches—to ease financial stress as it pushes forward with certification. Either way, the U.K. air taxi leader will need to get creative to achieve the goals it set in December 2024. Those include 150 customer deliveries and 200 aircraft produced annually by the end of the decade.
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