Fiery sparks flew on a runway at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) in the United States on Sunday (US time) when a US-based cargo airline’s Boeing plane suffered a dramatic tailstrike during an attempted landing. A video capturing the weekend aviation scare has since surfaced online, prompting the carrier’s chief operating officer to speak out about the incident involving Kalitta Air’s Boeing 777 aircraft.
Video shows Kalitta Air’s Boeing plane’s tailstrike leaving sparks on runway
A video circulating on X, and cited by several US news outlets, showed the freighter operator’s Boeing 777 scraping its tail on the CVG runway following a landing attempt around 8 pm local time.
An onlooker was heard yelling “woah, woah, woah, woah golly” in the shocking video as the plane skidded on the runway.
WLWT, the NBC affiliate leading local Cincinnati (Ohio) news coverage, cited witnesses as saying that the Kalitta Air plane was forced to abort the first landing attempt and come back for another round. However, the second landing attempt also failed, and the aircraft successfully landed on the third try.
WATCH: Kalitta Air Boeing 777-36N suffers a tailstrike during a go-around at Cincinnati Northern Kentucky International Airport.
— Breaking Aviation News & Videos (@aviationbrk) July 20, 2026
The company’s Chief Operating Officer Heath Nicholl said the flight landed safely shortly after the incident on Sunday, and the aircraft has been… pic.twitter.com/JKdqsdYN1P
US cargo airline’s COO speaks out
Kalitta Air’s COO Heath Nicholl said the Boeing plane was doing a go-around after an attempt to land at the CVG airport, according to a Fox 19 report. He disclosed that the aircraft experienced a “tail skid” during the event, forcing pilots to ascend back into the air after a failed landing attempt.
“The flight landed safely shortly thereafter, and there were no injuries to the crew,” he said, as quoted by the local news outlet. The company’s top executive further confirmed that the plane was eventually removed from service and put under inspection.
“The event is under review, and we do not have any additional information to provide at this time,” Nicholl added.
In a subsequent statement issued by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to the New York Post, Kalitta Air Flight 264 had departed from Brussels Airport in Belgium before the tailstrike at the US airport. The agency affirmed that the plane eventually landed safely after the unprecedented go-around at about 8:15 pm local time.
The harrowing incident comes merely days after Kalitta Air renewed its long-standing Unit Load Service (ULD) Supply & Management Agreement with ACL Airshop for another five years. Their partnership seeks to strengthen cargo operations through enhanced fleet management and improved digital innovation.
Based in Ypsilanti, Michigan, Kalitta Air is among the world’s most respected cargo airlines. As a Michigan Limited Liability Company owned solely by Conrad Kalitta, the airline began service in November 2000 with three Boeing 747 aircraft. According to the official website, the fleet has since grown to over 25 planes, including 777 freighters and B747-400 freighters.