Landing aborted as 747 cargo plane's engine scrapes runway

Jet made new approach at Luxembourg airport

A Cargolux jet on the runway. AP Photo

A 747 cargo plane bounced violently off a runway at Luxembourg airport on Sunday, after one of its engines clipped the ground on landing.

Footage of the incident shows the plane’s left engine slamming into the runway a split second after the wheels touch the ground creating a small cloud of burning rubber. The plane’s crew immediately abort the landing. Seconds later, the aircraft gains altitude for a second, successful, landing, making use of the plane's massive thrust — more than 28,000km on a 747 400.

The 747 has four engines. Depending on the make of the turbines on each wing, they can weigh around 4,000kg to 5,000kg. The aircraft, a 747 400 adapted to carry cargo, has a maximum take-off weight of nearly 400,000kg.

It’s not clear who filmed the incident, but German news outlet RTL said a number of people witnessed the event on the ground. The accident, which caused no injuries on the aircraft, was reported to the Directorate of Civil Aviation in Luxembourg, RTL said.

Instagram user and aviation enthusiast account Kyanspotter posted a photo of the engine scraping the ground on impact.

Cargolux said: “The pilots aborted their first landing attempt and completed an extra turn. They landed safely on the second attempt. The aircraft suffered damage during the first landing attempt and will remain on the ground while carrying out the necessary inspections and repairs.”