This is the harrowing moment a Boeing 777 packed with passengers scraped its tail hundreds of metres away on an Italian runway.
The 777 aircraft, part of the fleet of Chilean airline Latam, was seen dragging its tail on the runway at Milan Malpensa airport in northern Italy on Tuesday.
Video footage showed the plane, which can carry more than 500 passengers at a time, was unable to take off as smoke and debris flew behind it during the failed takeoff.
Corriere reported that passengers also saw sparks coming out of the plane, which was due to fly to Sao Paulo in Brazil, as it dragged along the runway.
The pilot was able to get the plane off the ground, but was asked to land it for an immediate inspection.
FlightRadar data shows the plane, flying under the code LA8073, circled the airport nine times before landing again.
The 777 aircraft, part of the fleet of Chilean airline Latam, was seen dragging its tail on the runway at Milan Malpensa airport in northern Italy.
Video footage showed the plane, which can carry more than 500 passengers at a time, was unable to take off as smoke and debris flew behind it during the failed takeoff.
The plane is currently on the ground at Milan Malpensa, local media reported.
Italian authorities are continuing to investigate the incident and are in communication with “investigative authorities in Brazil and the United States.”
Boeing has been under scrutiny for a series of serious failures. Earlier this week, the company announced it plans to plead guilty to fraud in connection with the approval of its 737 Max before two of the planes crashed, killing 346 people off the coasts of Indonesia and Ethiopia.
The US aerospace giant has apparently calculated that admitting a wrongdoing is better than fighting the charge and enduring a lengthy public trial.
In a legal filing late Sunday — minutes before the midnight deadline — the Justice Department disclosed the settlement and said the fraud charge was “the most serious and readily provable offense” it could bring against Boeing.
Prosecutors say Boeing will pay another $243.6 million fine, matching the fine it paid in 2021 for the same offense.
The Justice Department says a fraud conviction will hold Boeing accountable for “misrepresentations” it made to regulators who certified the 737 Max in 2017.
The accidents occurred less than five months apart in 2018 and 2019.
The company still faces investigations into the explosion of a panel on an Alaska Airlines Max jet in January, increased oversight by the Federal Aviation Administration and allegations from current and former employees about poor workmanship and retaliation against whistleblowers.
Boeing’s plea deal would bring the total to $487.2 million, which the Justice Department said is the statutory maximum for the fraud charge.
The agreement also requires the company to invest at least $455 million to improve security.
He will be on court-supervised probation for three years, and the Justice Department will appoint an independent monitor to oversee Boeing’s compliance with the terms of the plea agreement.
Boeing’s board of directors is also expected to meet with the families of the victims.