Boeing 787 Nose Gear Collapses, Injuring Staff

A Lufthansa jet bound for Los Angeles never left the gate in Frankfurt on Thursday after its nose gear suddenly gave way, injuring several people. The airline said the Boeing 787-9 was parked at a gate and had not yet begun boarding passengers when the front landing gear collapsed, leaving the wide-body plane partially resting on its underside, Reuters reports. The nose of the plane fell several yards to the ground. Lufthansa said crew and ground staff were on the aircraft at the time and that several employees were hurt and are receiving medical treatment.

Bloomberg describes the aircraft as "almost factory fresh." According to FlightRadar24, the aircraft was built last year and entered service this February. The carrier said it is working with authorities to determine what went wrong. The 787 is a relatively recent addition to Lufthansa's long-haul fleet, part of a broader plan to retire older, less fuel-efficient aircraft. Boeing said in a statement that it is "aware of the incident" and "supporting our customer," the AP reports.