Shortly after the A340’s nose angled up for takeoff, the aircraft failed to lift and was forced to quickly descend — almost grazing the runway. The aircraft’s pilots managed to pitch down, speed up, and ultimately takeoff.
Edelweiss, a holidaymaker-oriented airline that is part of the Lufthansa Group, confirmed the incident to Swiss media and said that first indications point to an unexpected tailwind which resulted in a loss of lift during takeoff.
It is unclear whether mistakes were made by the crew. The plane later landed safely in Mexico.
