Qantas flight bound for Perth forced to return to London
A Qantas flight bound for Perth has been forced to return to London this morning after a suspected tail strike on takeoff.
The Boeing 787-9 aircraft could be seen circling London before returning to Heathrow Airport.
Qantas has confirmed the incident but said the air return was not an emergency landing.
The plane was seen circling before returning to London. Supplied
"During take-off the aircraft experienced a suspected tail strike, and the pilots elected to return to London Heathrow," a Qantas spokesperson told nine.com.au.
"Engineers have inspected the aircraft and found there is no damage to the fuselage.
"As the crew would have exceeded their maximum duty limits on the flight to Perth, the flight has been cancelled. Customers have been booked on the next available flights."
The tail strike, which saw the rear of the plane scrape the ground before takeoff, is believed to have been caused by a storm causing havoc in the UK.
It's common practice for planes to return to the ground after a tail strike incident to ensure that no lasting damage has been caused.
A China Airlines flight was involved in a fatal accident in 2002 as a result of improper repairs after an earlier tail strike.
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