Crew Injured: Landing Gear Pin Missed in Frankfurt Airport Incident

A significant landing gear malfunction involving a Boeing Dreamliner at Frankfurt Airport in early June resulted in the aircraft tilting onto its nose, injuring 23 people.

An interim report from the Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU) revealed that a critical locking pin for the nose landing gear was not properly inserted. This pin was subsequently discovered in a storage box after the incident. The report also indicated a higher number of injured individuals than Lufthansa initially disclosed.

Initially, Lufthansa reported five injuries. However, the BFU's findings state that two people sustained serious injuries, and an additional 21 suffered minor injuries. The incident occurred while the aircraft, operating as flight LH450 and destined for Los Angeles, was parked at gate A15 before passenger boarding began.

At the time of the incident, only crew members and ground handling staff were on board. Two technicians were in the cockpit conducting a test on the main landing gear door controls when the nose landing gear retracted unexpectedly, causing the aircraft's front fuselage to impact the ground. The cockpit door slammed shut, and the aircraft lost power and lighting immediately after the impact. The BFU emphasized that the interim report does not identify the cause of the accident, and investigations are ongoing.