The 2024 incident occurred during a training flight.
Air France A350 tail strike (Photo: TSB of Canada)
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released an update on its ongoing investigation into a tail strike incident involving an Air France Airbus A350-900 at Toronto Pearson International Airport on Jan. 21, 2024. The incident occurred during a go-around maneuver.
Flight AFR 356, operating from Paris Charles de Gaulle to Toronto Pearson with 304 passengers and 12 crew members on board, was conducting a training flight for the first officer. As the aircraft touched down on Runway 24L, the captain, who was the pilot monitoring, called for a go-around.
The first officer complied, initiating the maneuver, which resulted in a tail strike as the aircraft became airborne at a low speed, investigators stated.
Just two pilots were operating the over eight-hour flight. The descent into Toronto occurred in visual meteorological conditions with a setting sun, and the runway was bare and dry.
After the incident, an inspection revealed structural damage in the fuselage and tail section, including skin delamination, punctures, damaged fasteners, and a severely damaged tail cone. According to the TSB report, the two pilots did not notice the tail strike.
The incident has prompted both Airbus and Air France to change procedures and add more training.
Airbus has amended the A350 Flight Crew Training Manual and proposed recurrent training dedicated to conducting go-arounds near the ground. Additionally, the aircraft manufacturer has modified cockpit warnings and alerts to better accommodate go-around situations initiated close to the ground.
Air France has responded by incorporating “balked-landing” exercises during line-oriented and recurrent training for pilots across multiple aircraft types, including the A330, A220, A320, A350, Boeing 777, and 787. The airline has also added educational resources, including a video demonstrating a balked landing on the A350 aircraft for annual e-learning training.
The 4-year-old A350 – registered as F-HTYH – remained out of service in Toronto for about six months. It was repositioned back to Paris in June and later to Airbus’ manufacturing hub in Toulouse, France, for repairs.
The A350 did not return to revenue service until October 2024, nearly 10 months after the incident.
The TSB’s investigation into the incident is ongoing.
 (imgl9125).jpg)
Receive a daily dose of the airline industry's top stories along with market insights right in your inbox.
Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy said he spoke with the pilots of Southwest flight 2504 following last month’s high-profile incursion…
The union representing around 16,000 American Airlines pilots issued a reminder to its members last week to avoid overflying the…
Pilots at FedEx – who have been negotiating a new contract since 2021 – say the carrier is outsourcing flying…
