Air France A350 experiences tailstrike at Toronto Pearson

An Air France Airbus A350-900 registered F-HTYH, operating on flight number AF356, experienced a tailstrike during landing while commencing a go-around.

By: Haotian

Published on: 22 January 2024, 8.23pm (GMT +8)

F-HTYH, the aircraft involved in the incident. Photo: FlyTeam Japan (flyteam.jp)

On 22 January 2024, what was expected to be an uneventful day at Toronto Pearson Airport (YYZ), turned out to be far from your typical Monday morning landing.

Air France flight 356, operated by an Airbus A350-900, was landing in Toronto, approaching runway 24L after about 8 hours in the sky.

As it was about to touch down, the aircraft bounced and this caused its pitch to increase quite significantly. While initiating a go-around, the aircraft pitched up too much in an effort to climb up into the sky again, and this resulted in a tailstrike.

The A350 experiencing the tailstrike. Photo: Anthony Saiters (instagram.com/saiters_photography)

After repositioning for another approach for runway 24L, the aircraft landed safely and taxied to its gate.

The flight path of AF356. Photo: Flightradar24 (flightradar24.com)

While no injuries were reported, the aircraft suffered substantial damages.

Damage sustained by the aircraft. Photo: AvHerald (avherald.com)

Project AeroFlight understands that no official statements have been made by Air France nor Toronto Pearson Airport.