{"id":32584371,"date":"2026-11-13T09:59:44","date_gmt":"2026-11-13T08:59:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dhl-a300-heathrow-tailstrike-aaib-report-d-aeag-reverse-thrust-go-around\/"},"modified":"2026-11-13T09:59:58","modified_gmt":"2026-11-13T08:59:58","slug":"dhl-a300-heathrow-tailstrike-aaib-report-d-aeag-reverse-thrust-go-around","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dhl-a300-heathrow-tailstrike-aaib-report-d-aeag-reverse-thrust-go-around\/","title":{"rendered":"DHL A300 Heathrow Tailstrike: Reverse Thrust Before the Go-Around"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>.et_pb_title_container h1.entry-title { padding-top: 40px !important; }<\/style>\r\n<!-- mfsh:top -->\r\n\r\n<style>\r\n.mfsh-trigger{display:inline-flex;align-items:center;gap:10px;height:44px;padding:0 18px;margin:0 0 26px;border:2px solid 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By then the tail of their DHL Airbus A300-600F had already scraped Runway 09L.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>On Thursday 12 November 2026, the UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB) published its bulletin on the accident to D-AEAG, a European Air Transport Leipzig freighter flying for DHL, on 12 October 2025. Nobody was hurt. The 1992-built jet was damaged beyond economical repair.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The report explains how a calm-weather landing turned into a tailstrike and a go-around with the thrust reversers already selected, a combination that the operator&rsquo;s and Airbus manuals both rule out.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f4f6f9;border:1px solid #e2e7ee;padding:18px 22px;margin:22px 0 26px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:700;color:#0d1117\">Quick Facts<\/p><ul style=\"margin:0;padding-left:18px\"><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Aircraft:<\/strong> Airbus A300-622F (A300-600F), D-AEAG, built 1992, freighter conversion 2011<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Operator:<\/strong> European Air Transport Leipzig, flying for DHL<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Date:<\/strong> 12 October 2025, London Heathrow, Runway 09L<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Flight:<\/strong> Cargo flight from Leipzig\/Halle; two crew, no injuries<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>What happened:<\/strong> Bounced landing, tailstrike at 12.3 degrees pitch, go-around after reverse idle was selected<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>AAIB finding:<\/strong> Pitch increase plus spoiler pitch-up caused the tailstrike; reverse thrust selection did not contribute to it<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Damage:<\/strong> Beyond economical repair; aircraft retired<\/li><li style=\"margin:4px 0\"><strong>Report:<\/strong> AAIB Bulletin 11\/2026, published 12 November 2026<\/li><\/ul><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A routine arrival from Leipzig<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The two pilots had flown in from Leipzig\/Halle, Germany, on a cargo flight that aeroTELEGRAPH and Simple Flying identify as QY2212. The captain, with 3,600 hours of which 2,572 were on type, flew a stable ILS approach to Runway 09L and took manual control late in the approach, as company procedures require. The wind was light and visibility was more than 10 km.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The flare began at about 30 ft. The left main gear touched first, then the right, and the A300 bounced briefly. As the throttles reached idle, the ground spoilers began to extend and the captain selected reverse idle, a step the AAIB says was likely an automatic, habitual action.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/dhl-a300-d-aeag-heathrow-taxiing-2012.jpg\" alt=\"Yellow DHL Airbus A300-600F D-AEAG taxiing on a wet apron at London Heathrow under dark clouds\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">D-AEAG taxiing to the cargo area at Heathrow in April 2012. The same freighter struck its tail on Runway 09L in October 2025. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Airbus_A300B2-B4_(DHL)_D-AEAG_LHR_(7122207903).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">John Taggart \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>After the second touchdown, the captain pulled back on the control column to stop the nosewheel from slamming down. Combined with the nose-up effect of the extending ground spoilers, that took the pitch attitude to 12.3 degrees. The A300&rsquo;s tail skid touches the runway at 11.2 degrees with the shock absorbers fully compressed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"max-width:550px;margin:0 auto 28px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/embed\/Tweet.html?id=1977434155559338385&theme=light\" style=\"width:100%;height:560px;border:none;overflow:hidden\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Go-around with the reversers opening<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>About three seconds after the first touchdown, the captain called &ldquo;go around&rdquo;. He told the AAIB that the second bounce felt like a high bounce he had once experienced as the monitoring pilot, and that he had not realised, through what he called &ldquo;muscle memory&rdquo;, that he had already selected reverse idle.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Roughly 1.5 seconds later the co-pilot called &ldquo;pitch, pitch&rdquo;, at about the moment the throttles reached takeoff\/go-around thrust. But the reverser sleeves were already moving. By design, the engines will not spool up until the sleeves are closed and latched again, so they stayed at idle while the speed bled away to 107 knots.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #1565c0;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;When the commander made the decision to go around, it is reasonable to conclude that he had not realised the thrust reversers had already deployed, having made the selection by automatic muscle memory, without deliberate cognitive processing, and as a result of long-term operational practice.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch<\/strong> &mdash; AAIB Bulletin 11\/2026, D-AEAG analysis<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The jet lifted off at about 110 knots but did not achieve a rate of climb for another eight seconds. Passing about 850 ft, the crew saw a reverser-unlock caution for the No. 1 engine. The AAIB could not explain why the sleeves were sensed as unlocked until about 1,200 ft, though video and flight data showed they had closed and stayed closed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"position:relative;padding-bottom:56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;margin:24px 0 8px\"><iframe class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7h20QY4e8oY\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%;border:0\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;font-style:italic;margin:0 0 24px\">Big Jet TV&rsquo;s live footage of the D-AEAG landing, the video the AAIB used to estimate the moment of the tailstrike.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>Neither pilot said anything on the cockpit voice recorder to show they knew the tail had hit. The A300 has no tailstrike detection system. When the Heathrow tower passed on a report from someone on the ground, one of the crew called it &ldquo;a possibility&rdquo;. They flew a standard go-around and landed on Runway 09R.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">Light bounce or high bounce?<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>Airbus and the operator split bounces into two kinds. After a light bounce of 5 ft or less, the crew holds a normal pitch attitude, keeps the thrust at idle and lands. After a high bounce, they go around. Both sets of manuals add one condition: once reverse thrust is selected, a full-stop landing must be completed.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The catch is telling the two apart. Airbus considered this bounce a light one, but told the AAIB there are no predefined parameters to categorise a high versus a light bounce. Only four seconds passed between the first touch of the left main gear and the captain pushing the throttles fully forward.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<div style=\"background:#f8f9fa;border-left:4px solid #d32f2f;padding:20px 22px;margin:18px 0 24px;font-size:16px;line-height:1.7\"><div><em>&ldquo;Despite this, the video footage and FDR indicated that the reversers had closed and did not subsequently reopen during the go-around. Had they done so, this could have adversely affected the aircraft&rsquo;s handling and led to a significantly worse outcome.&rdquo;<\/em><div style=\"margin-top:10px;font-size:14px;color:#555\"><strong>UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch<\/strong> &mdash; AAIB Bulletin 11\/2026, on the unexplained reverser-unlock indication<\/div><\/div><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>The AAIB concluded that the tailstrike came from the commanded pitch increase, made worse by the spoiler pitch-up. It found that selecting reverse thrust before the go-around did not contribute to the tailstrike, but noted that going around after selecting reverse is contrary to standard procedures and delays engine spool-up.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"padding-top:22px\">A one-way trip to Lleida<\/h2>\r\n\r\n<p>The damage was worse than it first looked. The operator&rsquo;s engineers found the skin buckled inwards at frame 77 of the lower tail, rivets separated, the tail skid abraded and an internal bulkhead frame deformed, damage classed as severe. The aircraft was grounded at Heathrow for several months and then retired.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\" style=\"margin:0 0 24px;width:100%\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"skip-lazy\" data-no-lazy=\"1\" loading=\"eager\" width=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/4\/2026\/11\/dhl-a300-d-aeag-east-midlands-2016.jpg\" alt=\"DHL Airbus A300-600F D-AEAG parked with loading stairs at East Midlands Airport\" style=\"width:100%;height:auto;max-width:100%;display:block\"><figcaption style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;text-align:center;margin-top:6px;font-style:italic\">D-AEAG at East Midlands Airport in March 2016. Converted from a passenger jet in 2011, it flew for European Air Transport Leipzig until the Heathrow tailstrike. Photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:D-AEAG_(26111382546).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alec Wilson \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\r\n\r\n\r\n<p>According to Flightradar24 data cited by Simple Flying, D-AEAG was patched up for one last flight on 31 January 2026, flying from London to Lleida in Spain for storage and scrapping. It was an unglamorous end for an airframe that had started life as a passenger jet in 1992 and had flown as a DHL freighter since its conversion in 2011.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p>The lesson the report leaves behind is a human one. A well-drilled habit, reverse idle on main-wheel touchdown, collided with a split-second decision to go around. In four seconds on a calm Sunday afternoon, the A300 lost its tail section and its career.<\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<p><em>Sources: UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch (AAIB Bulletin 11\/2026, D-AEAG), FlightGlobal, Simple Flying, AeroCorner, Big Jet TV<\/em><\/p>\r\n<!-- mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<button type=\"button\" class=\"mfsh-trigger mfsh-bottom\" data-mfsh-placement=\"bottom\" aria-haspopup=\"dialog\"><svg><use href=\"#mfsh-i-share\"\/><\/svg>Share this story<\/button>\r\n\r\n<!-- \/mfsh:bottom -->\r\n\r\n<p class=\"mf-photo-credits\" data-no-translation style=\"font-size:13px;color:#777;font-style:italic;margin:6px 0 18px\">Header photo: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Airbus_A300B4-622R(F)_%E2%80%98D-AEAG%E2%80%99_European_Air_Transport_DHL_Express_(51680599559).jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Alan Wilson \/ Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n<style>.mfq{margin:34px 0 8px}.mfq h2{font:26px\/1.3 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117;padding-top:22px;margin:0 0 6px}.mfq .qa details{border-top:1px solid #5C91FF;margin:0;padding:0}.mfq .qa details:last-of-type{border-bottom:1px solid #e2e7ee}.mfq .qa summary{cursor:pointer;list-style:none;display:flex;justify-content:space-between;align-items:center;gap:16px;padding:22px 26px;font:18px\/1.7 \"Gilroy semiBold\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#0d1117}.mfq .qa summary::-webkit-details-marker{display:none}.mfq .qa summary::after{content:\"+\";font:24px Helvetica,sans-serif;color:#3568e0;flex:0 0 auto}.mfq .qa details[open] summary::after{content:\"\\2013\"}.mfq .qa details:hover summary{color:#3568e0}.mfq .qa .a{font:16px\/1.7 \"Gilroy regular\",Helvetica,Arial,sans-serif;color:#454e5e;padding:0 26px 24px}.mfq .qa .a a{color:#3568e0}@media(max-width:680px){.mfq .qa summary{padding:18px 14px;font-size:17px}.mfq .qa .a{padding:0 14px 20px}}<\/style>\r\n\r\n\r\n<section class=\"mfq\"><h2>Frequently Asked Questions<\/h2><div class=\"qa\"><details open><summary>What happened to DHL A300 D-AEAG at Heathrow?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">On 12 October 2025, European Air Transport Leipzig A300-600F D-AEAG, flying for DHL from Leipzig\/Halle, bounced on landing on Heathrow&rsquo;s Runway 09L. The pitch rose to 12.3 degrees and the tail struck the runway. The captain went around and landed on Runway 09R. The two crew were unhurt.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What caused the DHL A300 tailstrike at Heathrow?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">The AAIB found the tailstrike was caused by the captain&rsquo;s commanded increase in pitch after the second touchdown, made worse by the pitch-up effect of the extending ground spoilers. It concluded that selecting reverse thrust before the go-around did not contribute to the tailstrike itself.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Why was going around after selecting reverse thrust a problem?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Airbus and operator manuals say that once reverse thrust is selected, a full-stop landing must be completed. On the A300, the engines will not spool up until the reverser sleeves are closed and latched again, so D-AEAG&rsquo;s engines stayed at idle and its airspeed fell to 107 knots before thrust increased.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Did the pilots know the A300 had a tailstrike?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">No. The cockpit voice recorder showed no comment from either pilot indicating awareness of the tailstrike, and the A300 has no tailstrike detection system. After the go-around, Heathrow&rsquo;s tower relayed a report from someone on the ground, and one of the crew called it a possibility.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>Was A300 D-AEAG written off after the Heathrow tailstrike?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Yes. The AAIB lists the damage to D-AEAG&rsquo;s underside and internal structure as beyond economical repair, and the aircraft was retired. According to Flightradar24 data cited by Simple Flying, it was ferried from London to Lleida in Spain on 31 January 2026 for storage and scrapping.<\/div><\/details><details><summary>What is the difference between a light and a high bounce on landing?<\/summary><div class=\"a\">Airbus and the operator define a light bounce as 5 ft or less, after which the crew holds a normal pitch, keeps idle thrust and lands. After a high bounce, the crew goes around. Airbus told the AAIB there are no predefined parameters to categorise a high versus a light bounce.<\/div><\/details><\/div><\/section>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@type\":\"FAQPage\",\"mainEntity\":[{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What happened to DHL A300 D-AEAG at Heathrow?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"On 12 October 2025, European Air Transport Leipzig A300-600F D-AEAG, flying for DHL from Leipzig\/Halle, bounced on landing on Heathrow\u2019s Runway 09L. The pitch rose to 12.3 degrees and the tail struck the runway. The captain went around and landed on Runway 09R. The two crew were unhurt.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What caused the DHL A300 tailstrike at Heathrow?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"The AAIB found the tailstrike was caused by the captain\u2019s commanded increase in pitch after the second touchdown, made worse by the pitch-up effect of the extending ground spoilers. It concluded that selecting reverse thrust before the go-around did not contribute to the tailstrike itself.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Why was going around after selecting reverse thrust a problem?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Airbus and operator manuals say that once reverse thrust is selected, a full-stop landing must be completed. On the A300, the engines will not spool up until the reverser sleeves are closed and latched again, so D-AEAG\u2019s engines stayed at idle and its airspeed fell to 107 knots before thrust increased.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Did the pilots know the A300 had a tailstrike?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"No. The cockpit voice recorder showed no comment from either pilot indicating awareness of the tailstrike, and the A300 has no tailstrike detection system. After the go-around, Heathrow\u2019s tower relayed a report from someone on the ground, and one of the crew called it a possibility.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"Was A300 D-AEAG written off after the Heathrow tailstrike?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Yes. The AAIB lists the damage to D-AEAG\u2019s underside and internal structure as beyond economical repair, and the aircraft was retired. According to Flightradar24 data cited by Simple Flying, it was ferried from London to Lleida in Spain on 31 January 2026 for storage and scrapping.\"}},{\"@type\":\"Question\",\"name\":\"What is the difference between a light and a high bounce on landing?\",\"acceptedAnswer\":{\"@type\":\"Answer\",\"text\":\"Airbus and the operator define a light bounce as 5 ft or less, after which the crew holds a normal pitch, keeps idle thrust and lands. After a high bounce, the crew goes around. Airbus told the AAIB there are no predefined parameters to categorise a high versus a light bounce.\"}}]}<\/script><div style=\"background:#f0f4ff;border-left:4px solid #5C91FF;padding:16px 20px;margin:32px 0 8px\"><p style=\"margin:0 0 8px;font-weight:600;color:#333\">Related Posts<\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/tail-strikes-explained-why-airliners-scrape-tails-a321-takeoff-landing\/\">Tail Strikes Explained: Why Airliners Scrape Their Tails<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/indigo-a321-tail-strike-bengaluru-6e6542-go-around-2026\/\">IndiGo A321 Tail Strike at Bengaluru After a Go-Around<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/dhl-a300-baghdad-missile-hydraulics-2003\/\">Hit by a Missile, Landed on Engines Alone<\/a><\/p><p style=\"margin:4px 0\"><a href=\"https:\/\/migflug.com\/afterburner\/american-airlines-flight-587-belle-harbor-a300-rudder-2001\/\">American Airlines Flight 587: The Rudder Inputs That Tore the Tail Off an A300<\/a><\/p><\/div>\r\n\r\n\r\n<!--mfcred1-->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The AAIB report on the DHL A300-600F D-AEAG tailstrike at Heathrow on 12 October 2025 explains a bounced landing, a go-around with reverse idle already selected, and a write-off.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":23,"featured_media":32584255,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"editor_notices":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[665,670],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-32584371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-aviation-world","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>DHL A300 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