INCIDENT: Cargolux 747 Sustains Damage Upon Landing at Luxembourg

On Saturday, April 15th, the Cargolux Boeing 747-400 freighter, with registration number LX-ECV, was en route from Dubai Al Maktoum (DWC) to Luxembourg (LUX) on flight CV7545.

During landing on Luxembourg's runway 06, the aircraft bounced, causing the left wing to drop and the left engine (CF6) to touch the runway surface before initiating a go-around.

The aircraft then climbed to 4000 feet, maneuvered for another approach to runway 06, and landed successfully without incident about 15 minutes later. The landing resulted in minor damage to the aircraft.

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Video clips circulating on social media depict the instant when the cargo aircraft makes a hard impact on the runway, rebounds, and subsequently aborts the landing.

Cargolux Boeing 747 Damaged at Luxembourg

A spokesperson from Cargolux Airlines reported that the pilots decided to abort their initial landing attempt and performed a go-around before landing the aircraft safely on their second try. 

The aircraft sustained damage during the first landing attempt and will be grounded for inspection and repairs. There were no injuries reported during the incident, and the airline has commenced an internal investigation.

The aircraft landed safely on the second attempt but sustained damage during the initial landing, and it is unclear what led to the aircraft bouncing. Social media footage displays scrape marks on the left engine after the landing.

Cargolux is a cargo carrier with its base located at Luxembourg's Findel Airport. The airline provides its services to 90 destinations across the globe.

Cargolux Italia, its subsidiary, primarily operates from Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP). Besides its airborne operations, Cargolux has a strong trucking network that serves over 250 destinations worldwide.

In 2021, Cargolux experienced another incident involving one of their Boeing 747 aircraft. LX-VCE, a 747-8F, collided with a Southwest Airlines Boeing 737-700 (N218WN) at Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD), canceling both flights. Luckily, the Cargolux aircraft sustained little to no damage, but the Southwest plane suffered a broken winglet.