Lufthansa Boeing 787 nose landing gear collapses at Frankfurt Airport
The incident occurred as the Dreamliner was being prepared for a flight to Los Angeles.
By Joanna Bailey
The front landing gear of a Lufthansa Boeing 787 has collapsed while parked at Frankfurt Airport in Germany.
Video footage from the airport shows the aircraft parked on a stand when the nose landing gear abruptly retracts, sending the front of the plane crashing to the ground.
Lufthansa released a statement noting that ‘several’ crew members were injured in the incident. Passengers had not yet boarded, but there may have been crew on board preparing the cabin.
The Boeing 787-9 involved in the incident is named ‘Herne’ and carries tail number D-ABPQ. It was delivered new to the airline in January 2026 and entered service on 13 February.
Just four months into service with the airline, the Dreamliner has flown to destinations as far-flung as Delhi, Toronto and Rio. Today, it was due to fly to Los Angeles on service LH450, with a scheduled departure time of 13:50 local.
Following the incident, the flight to LA was cancelled. Lufthansa will be seeking to reaccommodate passengers on another service, as D-ABPQ may not be flying again for some time.
Lufthansa landing gear failure bears similarities with 2021 British Airways incident
Today’s Lufthansa incident brings to mind a similar accident involving a British Airways Boeing 787 in 2021. Then, the 787-8 with tail number G-ZBJB suffered a nose gear collapse at London’s Heathrow Airport while the aircraft was being prepared for a flight.
In that case, the final investigation report identified an issue with the nose landing gear downlock pin, which had been inadvertently inserted into the wrong hole in the assembly.
The downlock pin is a safety device inserted into the gear’s locking mechanism while an aircraft is on the ground. Its primary purpose is to physically prevent the gear from accidentally folding or retracting during maintenance, towing, or hydraulic testing.
In the case of the British Airways incident, the AAIB found that the design of the nose landing gear downlock assembly created an opportunity for error, with two holes located so close together that the pin could be inadvertently inserted in the incorrect location.
It’s unknown if this was the same issue that affected Lufthansa’s Boeing 787 today, but investigations will ultimately determine the cause.
