A Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 suffered a nose landing gear collapse today at Frankfurt Airport while the aircraft was parked at the gate and being prepared for a flight to Los Angeles.
The incident occurred at 12:45 local time, before boarding had begun for flight LH450 to Los Angeles. According to Reuters, crew members and ground staff were on board the aircraft at the time, while passengers had not yet boarded. Lufthansa confirmed that several staff members were injured and were receiving medical treatment.
According to available data, the aircraft involved was a Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner registered D-ABPQ, serial number 66827 and Mode S code 3C4A11, which was delivered to Lufthansa in April 2025 and is one year and two months old.
Photographs from the scene showed the aircraft surrounded by emergency vehicles, with the front section of the widebody jet partially resting on its belly. Lufthansa said the exact circumstances of the incident are being investigated in cooperation with the relevant authorities. Boeing confirmed it was aware of the incident and said it was supporting its customer, but did not provide further details.
The Boeing 787-9 is a relatively new aircraft type in Lufthansa’s fleet. The German airline is introducing Dreamliners as part of its long-haul fleet renewal, replacing older and less efficient aircraft. The flight to Los Angeles was cancelled following the incident.
However, this is not the first known case of a nose landing gear collapse or inadvertent retraction involving a Boeing 787 while the aircraft was parked on stand. The UK Air Accidents Investigation Branch previously published a report on an incident that occurred on June 18, 2021, at London Heathrow Airport, when a British Airways Boeing 787-8, registered G-ZBJB, struck the ground with its nose during preparation for a cargo flight from London to Frankfurt. The co-pilot and one member of the cargo loading team sustained minor injuries in that incident.
In the Heathrow case, investigators determined that the nose landing gear downlock pin had been inserted into the wrong hole in the assembly, in a position very close to the correct downlock pin hole. When the landing gear lever was selected to the UP position during maintenance work, the nose landing gear retracted despite the intention to keep it mechanically secured. The AAIB noted that the design of the nose landing gear downlock assembly created an opportunity for such an error. A Service Bulletin and Airworthiness Directive that would have prevented the incident were available, but had not yet been implemented on that aircraft.
At this stage, there is no official confirmation that the Frankfurt incident is connected to the same cause as the 2021 Heathrow case. The investigation by Lufthansa, the manufacturer and the relevant authorities should determine whether the collapse of the nose landing gear was caused by a technical fault, maintenance procedure, ground handling activity or another circumstance.
