A TUI pilot had to dump fuel and return to Manchester Airport in 'emergency mode' after the aircraft's tail hit the runway during take-off.
Fully-booked flight TOM 2384 to Fuerteventura was taking off at around 8.30am on March 9 when the tail 'contacted the runway surface'.
Dubbed a 'tail strike', the incident on the Boeing 737-800 meant the crew had to stop the climb at 10,000ft, burn off fuel by flying around the Lake District, before returning to Manchester for a safe landing, 45 minutes after departure.
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The aircraft landed safely and passengers boarded a new aircraft around seven hours later. The original plane was reported to still be on the ground at Manchester around 26 hours after landing. The Manchester Evening News has asked TUI what happened to the aircraft.
A spokeswoman from TUI said: "Flight TOM2384 from Manchester to Fuerteventura conducted a precautionary return landing after experiencing a technical issue. The safety of our passengers and crew is our number one priority and everyone was safely disembarked. We would like to apologise to those customers affected and thank them for their patience and understanding."
In aviation a tail strike occurs when the tail of an aircraft strikes the ground or other stationary object. It can happen in both take-off or landing. Although a minor tail strike may not be dangerous in itself, it's understood it can weaken the aircraft so it must be fully inspected and repaired to avoid further incident in its operating life.
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