A Singapore Airlines aircraft experienced an incident during landing at Changi Airport on Saturday, Jan 24, after the flight was forced to abort its first landing attempt. The aircraft involved was an Airbus A350 operating flight SQ917 from Manila to Singapore.
In response to queries from CNA, a Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the aircraft carried out a “rejected landing” at about 6.07 pm. The aborted landing was due to windy weather conditions at the airport. During this process, the aircraft did not land and instead went around for another approach.
The tail makes contact with the runway
During the aborted landing, the aircraft’s tail contacted the runway. The spokesperson confirmed that “during the aborted landing, the aircraft’s tail came into contact with the runway.”
This type of incident is known as a tail strike. A tail strike happens when the rear part of an aircraft touches the runway during takeoff or landing. While such incidents do not happen often, they can lead to serious damage to the aircraft.
According to travel website VisaHQ, tail strikes are rare but costly. The website noted that they “can cost airlines millions in repair costs.”
Aircraft lands safely on second attempt
After the aborted landing, the aircraft remained airborne before making another approach to land. The Singapore Airlines spokesperson said the aircraft landed safely about 25 minutes later.
The plane touched down at 6.32 pm and taxied to the terminal without any further issues. At the time, there were 256 passengers and 16 crew members on board the aircraft.
The airline said that all passengers and crew disembarked normally after the aircraft reached the terminal.
Aircraft undergoing repairs
Following the incident, Singapore Airlines confirmed that the aircraft is currently undergoing repairs. The spokesperson said the aircraft “is undergoing repairs as a result.”
No injuries were reported, and there was no mention of any disruption to airport operations caused by the incident. The airline did not provide further details on the extent of the damage or how long the repair process would take.
