A Boeing 787 carrying 271 passengers and 16 crew reportedly veered off the end of a runway and struck its tail on the ground while taking off at Munich Airport on Saturday, Aug. 15
The crew then spent two hours circling to dump fuel and make the aircraft lighter before bringing it back down on the runway
German and Vietnamese authorities are investigating the incident to determine the cause and prevent future occurrences
A Boeing 787 carrying nearly 300 people narrowly avoided disaster when it veered off the end of the runway and hit its tail on the ground.
The Vietnam Airlines jet was scheduled to leave Munich, Germany at 1:35 p.m. local time on Saturday, Aug. 15, and arrive in Hanoi, the Vietnamese capital, at 5:20 a.m. the following morning, per Flightradar24.
As the plane accelerated down the runway, it unexpectedly stopped gaining speed before accelerating again, U.K. newspaper The Times reported. The pilots noticed the speed dropping a second time, but by then the aircraft had traveled too far down the runway to safely abort takeoff.
The aircraft veered off the runway before it became airborne, creating a huge dust cloud and heading toward trees as the crew tried to get its nose in the air. The pilots eventually managed to get the plane airborne, per video footage circulating online.
The crew then spent around two hours circling and dumping fuel to make the aircraft lighter for landing, The Times reported. They also made a number of low passes for ground crew to visually inspect the landing gear before they were able to bring the plane back down on the runway.
The main landing gear was badly damaged and four tires burst, but all 271 passengers and 16 crew survived the ordeal without injury, reported The Times.
According to Vietnam News, a preliminary report from the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam also found multiple scratches on the underside of the rear fuselage and torn outer skin.
Three captains and a first officer were on board the flight, and German investigators are analyzing their actions and "technical aspects" of the aircraft to determine what caused the loss of acceleration and late braking, The Times reported.
Vietnam Airlines said in a statement, via Reuters, that the flight returned to Munich after takeoff due to a "technical issue" and added that the crew had followed all required procedures and landed safely but did not provide further details.
Munich Airport told the agency that the plane wasn't able to taxi off the north runway under its own power, prompting the closure of the runway and a rerouting of traffic.
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According to Vietnamese newspaper Nhân Dân, the country's Ministry of Construction requested the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam and Vietnam Airlines cooperate with the German authorities to clarify the cause of the incident and prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.
PEOPLE reached out to Vietnam Airlines, Munich Airport, the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation in Germany and the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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