A brand-new Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner collapsed onto its nose at a Frankfurt Airport gate on June 4
Frankfurt, Germany — June 4, 2026
Another Boeing. Another incident. Another set of injured aviation workers and another cancelled flight — as a brand-new Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner collapsed nose-first onto the tarmac at Frankfurt Airport on Thursday afternoon while being prepared for departure.
On June 4, 2026, Lufthansa issued a statement confirming that no passengers had yet boarded the aircraft when the nose gear unexpectedly retracted at Frankfurt Airport at 12:45 local time. The Lufthansa Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner, registered D-ABPQ and named "Herne", was waiting at a gate and due to fly to Los Angeles International Airport at 13:50.
The sudden retraction of the nose gear caused the front section of the aircraft to drop unexpectedly while it was stationary at the gate. The incident resulted in injuries to several airline employees working in and around the aircraft.
Footage shared by Flightradar24 showed the moment the aircraft collapsed to the ground as a person in a safety jacket stood meters away.
Lufthansa confirmed that two cabin crew members and several employees of ground handling providers were taken to hospital for evaluation and treatment. The airline said it is currently investigating the exact circumstances together with the relevant authorities.
No passengers were on board at the time of the incident. Boarding for the Los Angeles flight had not yet begun.
The aircraft is just over a year old and was only delivered to Lufthansa in January 2026. Since entering service in February, the aircraft had operated just 137 flights.
The aircraft was among the newest additions to Lufthansa's fleet, equipped with Lufthansa's latest Allegris cabin product. The incident caused significant damage to the forward fuselage and the aircraft is expected to spend a significant amount of time out of service.
Aviation experts suggest the most likely cause was human error — specifically that a safety pin known as a "gear pin" was not properly inserted in the landing gear before cockpit panel tests were conducted. This pin prevents the gear from retracting when test controls are activated on the ground.
Investigators will be looking closely at the plane's maintenance history and system records, and may also review flight data to understand how the aircraft's landing gear had been operating in previous landings.
This incident comes at a deeply uncomfortable time for Boeing.
A 2021 incident at London's Heathrow Airport also involved the nose landing gear of a Boeing 787. In May 2021, Boeing halted 787 deliveries while US federal regulators reviewed documentation. In June 2023, Boeing said 787 deliveries were delayed again while it inspected fittings on part of the aircraft's tail after identifying a nonconforming condition.
The collapse at Frankfurt is the latest in a string of high-profile Boeing incidents in 2026 that have kept aviation safety at the top of the global agenda.
The incident forced the cancellation of flight LH450 to Los Angeles and also affected a scheduled New York service, disrupting long-haul travel for passengers across the US, UK and Europe.
Affected passengers were rebooked on alternative Lufthansa services.
Lufthansa confirmed its full cooperation with German aviation authorities investigating the collapse and said the aircraft would undergo extensive inspection and repairs before returning to service.
The airline has not yet commented on the broader implications for its Boeing 787 fleet.
DeSanta News will continue to follow this story as the investigation develops.
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