Over the weekend, a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 had an accident while taking off on a long haul flight from Germany to Vietnam. Fortunately no one was injured, though this has to be one of the most unusual and terrifying close calls we’ve seen in a long time.
I’d like to post a recap of what happened and an update, because the Civil Aviation Authority of Vietnam (CAAV) has just released its preliminary report into this incident, and it only deepens the mystery.
Vietnam Airlines 787 struggles to take off on very long runway
This incident happened on Saturday, August 15, 2026, and involves Vietnam Airlines flight VN34, scheduled to fly from Munich (MUC) to Hanoi (HAN). The flight was operated by a 10-year-old Boeing 787-9 with the registration code VN-A867.
At 1:57PM local time, the plane started its takeoff roll on runway 26L, which is 4,000 meters (13,123 feet) long. This is about as long as commercial runways get, so it’s way longer than what even a fully loaded Dreamliner would need.
However, something went seriously wrong with this takeoff. The plane accelerated down the runway… and kept accelerating, and accelerating, and accelerating. Eventually the plane overran the end of the runway, causing damage to runway lights. In the video you can see that huge clouds of dust rose around the aircraft, as the tail struck the ground.
Fortunately the plane did manage to become airborne, though the crew immediately declared an emergency. The plane climbed to 10,000 feet, and the crew reported that they had an indicator that they had an issue with tire pressure.
The plane circled around the area for around 90 minutes (either to burn or dump fuel), at which point the aircraft performed two low approaches over the runway, so damage could be assessed.
Then the plane landed on runway 26R on the third approach, and it became disabled on the runway, closing the runway for an extended period of time. That landing was at 3:57PM, two hours after the plane first took off.
There’s even video footage from inside the cabin during the takeoff.
Then there are pictures showing the tire damage and tail strike after the plane returned to Munich.
I think it’s safe to assume that this plane will be on the ground for quite some time, and isn’t going anywhere any time soon…
Preliminary report gives some clues about what happened
Looking at the video of the takeoff, there’s nothing that stands out to me as being particularly unusual. It looks like the plane is accelerating decently, the flaps are in use, etc. But the plane just keeps going and going.
On the surface, it’s hard to comprehend what could’ve happened here. If the pilots felt something was off during the takeoff roll, they’d logically abort the takeoff. And a 13,000+ foot runway is particularly long, so they should’ve had a major buffer here.
Typically when we see incidents like this, it’s because the takeoff performance for the plane wasn’t calculated correctly. Did the crew not have the right “numbers” for this flight when determining takeoff performance? It appears there may be a little bit more to this.
While we’ll have to wait some time for a full investigation to be performed, Vietnamese authorities have released some preliminary details about the incident, based on flight data and interviews with the pilots:
- Around halfway down the runway, the pilots noticed that the speed stopped increasing for around two seconds
- The plane then reached the V1 speed (“the point of no return,” the speed at which pilots commit to taking off), but then the speed dropped again
- The pilots decided there wasn’t enough runway left to reject the takeoff, so they increased engine power and rotated the plane, with around 91 meters (299 feet) remaining
- At that point the 787 left the paved runway, had a tail strike, and four of the main gear tires lost pressure
- At the time of the incident, the plane weighed 240 tons, under its maximum takeoff weight of 247.2 tons, and the weather was good
This preliminary report does somewhat explain how this issue is likely more complex than just incorrect weight calculations. The investigation is now about why the plane didn’t continue to gain speed during its takeoff roll. We also now understand why the pilots reportedly didn’t abort the takeoff, since they reached their V1 speed.
I think we also have to acknowledge how close this was to being a catastrophe. Imagine if the plane was just a little bit slower, and then ended up in the grass, where it would almost certainly not have been able to gain speed and then get airborne anymore. Everyone onboard that flight should be grateful to be alive.
Bottom line
A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787 had a seriously messed up takeoff from Munich, as the plane overran the runway on takeoff, causing it to damage runway lights and strike its tail, with huge clouds of dust rising. When the plane came back to land, it also had serious issues with its tires, and the full damage of the tail strike was discovered.
Particularly given how long Munich Airport’s runway is, this is a really wild incident. A preliminary report suggests that during the takeoff roll, the pilots noticed that the plane stopped gaining speed, and at one point, even slowed down a bit. However, at that point the pilots felt they no longer had enough runway to stop.
This could’ve had a much worse ending. I’m curious to see what we learn as the investigation continues…
What do you make of this Vietnam Airlines runway overrun in Munich?
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