Vietnam Orders Safety Review After Munich Airport Near Miss

Vietnam's government has launched an urgent safety assessment of its national airline and is seeking enhanced cooperation with German authorities following a harrowing near-miss incident at Munich Airport last weekend. Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc has commissioned a comprehensive review encompassing flight operations, aircraft maintenance, technical inspections, and crew training.

The directive also mandates that the construction and finance ministries collaborate closely with German investigators. They are tasked with reporting to the government on the incident's root cause and proposing necessary corrective measures. The investigation aims to understand how the near-disaster unfolded and prevent future occurrences.

The Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9, en route to Hanoi with almost 300 individuals aboard, reportedly experienced a significant loss of acceleration midway down the runway. According to state media, the flight crew determined that insufficient runway remained to safely abort the takeoff. A preliminary inspection revealed that four main landing gear tires had burst during the attempted departure.

German investigators indicated that the lift-off occurred unusually late, beyond the designated runway area, and that the aircraft's tail made contact with the ground. Tyre marks consistent with the aircraft were found at the runway's end, according to the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation. While flight recorders are under examination, the full data analysis is expected to take time.

Fortunately, all 271 passengers and 16 crew members on board escaped unharmed. The aircraft successfully returned to its departure airport after jettisoning fuel to reduce its weight for a safe landing. State media confirmed that the takeoff weight was within safe operational limits and weather conditions were favorable. Both primary pilots had extensive experience, logging between 22,000 and 27,000 flight hours each as of July.