Several Injured After Plane’s Landing Gear Collapses at Airport

A brand-new Lufthansa Boeing 787 Dreamliner was badly damaged after its front landing gear suddenly collapsed while the plane was being prepared for a flight to California.

The alarming incident happened Thursday at Frankfurt Airport as the aircraft was being fueled and stocked for Lufthansa Flight LH450 to Los Angeles.

Video shared by FlightRadar24 showed the Boeing 787-9 sitting at the gate when its nose suddenly dropped, smashing the front of the aircraft down onto the tarmac while it was still attached to the jet bridge.

Thankfully, no passengers had boarded the plane yet.

A Lufthansa spokesperson told German news agency DPA that the aircraft’s nose landing gear “unexpectedly folded in while parked.”

“At the time of the incident, crew and ground staff were on board,” the spokesperson said. “Passengers had not yet boarded. Several employees were injured and are currently receiving medical treatment.”

The aircraft had reportedly been in service for only about six months, making the incident even more stunning.

The flight to Los Angeles was canceled after the collapse, and Lufthansa deployed a crisis team to deal with the situation.

It is not yet known what caused the nose gear to give way or whether human error played any role.

Photos and video from the scene showed the aircraft with significant damage after the front of the plane dropped at the gate. The incident created a major disruption for the scheduled afternoon flight and raised questions about how a modern jet could suffer such a failure while parked.

The Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner can carry up to 296 passengers, according to Boeing. Lufthansa currently has 19 Dreamliners in its fleet.

For travelers set to board the Los Angeles-bound flight, the timing of the collapse may have prevented a far more frightening scene. The plane was still on the ground, passengers had not yet entered the cabin, and the emergency unfolded before takeoff.

Still, several crew members and ground employees were injured in what turned into a shocking airport incident involving one of Lufthansa’s newest long-haul jets.