Near Catastrophe at Munich Airport: Dreamliner Skids Off Runway Before Takeoff

Munich Airport may have narrowly escaped a disaster Saturday afternoon when a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 Dreamliner overran the runway during takeoff but managed to become airborne just before the end. Aviation expert Heinrich Großbongardt described the situation as a near-catastrophe, stating it could have resulted in a fireball with hundreds of fatalities if the pilots hadn't managed to pull up.

Three days later, the exact cause of the near-miss remains unclear. The Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BfU), responsible for civil aviation incidents, confirmed it is still investigating. However, the aviation platform 'Aviation Herald' reported that the aircraft's right-side brakes were activated approximately 200 meters before the runway's end, a detail suggested by visual evidence.

Video footage from plane spotters showed the Dreamliner rolling past the end of the roughly 4,000-meter runway, kicking up dust before lifting off. During the aborted takeoff, the aircraft's tail scraped the ground, causing significant damage, and it also impacted the runway lighting system beyond the tarmac.

Following the takeoff, the Dreamliner did not head towards Hanoi as planned. Instead, the crew executed a nearly two-hour flight over the greater Munich area, making several circuits. 'Aviation Herald' reported the crew declared a tire pressure drop and the need to dump fuel, which they proceeded to do, as seen in videos. This raises questions about the environmental impact of dumping approximately 60 tons of kerosene, although a 2020 study by the German Federal Environment Agency (UBA) suggested that fuel dumping above 1,800 meters has no critical impact on humans or the environment.

“

It could have been a fireball with hundreds of fatalities if the pilots hadn't managed to pull up.