CINCINNATI/NORTHERN KENTUCKY INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (CVG) — July 19, 2026 — A Kalitta Air Boeing 777-300ER freighter scraped its tail on the runway during a go-around Sunday evening, sending a visible stream of sparks across the pavement at one of North America’s busiest cargo hubs. The Federal Aviation Administration confirmed it will investigate.
Kalitta Air Flight 264 had arrived from Brussels Airport after a transatlantic crossing of roughly eight and a half hours when the incident occurred at approximately 8:15 p.m. local time. As the crew executed a go-around — a standard maneuver in which pilots abort a landing approach and climb away to try again — the tail made contact with the runway surface.
Bystander video, quickly shared on social media, shows the underside of the wide-body jet producing a sustained shower of sparks as it scrapes the pavement before climbing away. The aircraft subsequently landed safely. No crew injuries were reported.
FAA Confirms Investigation
The FAA announced via its official account that the agency will investigate the incident. Its initial statement confirmed that the tail of the Boeing 777-300ER scraped the runway during the go-around and that the flight originated in Brussels. The FAA noted the information is preliminary and subject to change.
Kalitta Air Chief Operating Officer Heath Nicholl confirmed the aircraft was removed from service for inspection and evaluation following the landing. “The event is under review, and we do not have any additional information to provide at this time,” Nicholl said.
Flight data identifies the aircraft as N778CK, a 21-year-old 777-36NER converted from passenger configuration by Israel Aerospace Industries. The jet entered service with Emirates in 2005 and transferred to Kalitta’s fleet in September 2025 as part of the Michigan-based carrier’s effort to replace aging 747-400 freighters.
The FOD Problem: What a Tail Strike Leaves Behind
From a runway safety standpoint, tail strikes are not just an aircraft-structural concern — they are a foreign object debris event.
When a fuselage tail section contacts pavement at speed, the impact can dislodge and scatter metallic fragments, composite material, paint, and fastener hardware across the runway surface. CVG handles tens of millions of pounds of freight weekly for Amazon Air, DHL, and a rotating roster of international carriers. Even small debris on an active runway represents a serious hazard to subsequent operations at a hub that busy.
Standard protocol following a suspected runway contact calls for an immediate runway inspection before the surface is returned to service. Inspections typically include a visual sweep by airfield operations staff and, depending on the severity of the contact, a coordinated FOD walk to ensure no debris remains in the movement area.
The extent of runway contamination from the Kalitta incident has not been publicly disclosed. CVG operations officials had not issued a statement as of publication.
Tail Strikes: Causes and Consequences
Tail strikes occur when the rear fuselage contacts the ground, most often during takeoff or landing when the nose is raised at an excessive angle. During a go-around, a rapidly increasing pitch attitude — sometimes driven by heavy thrust application or gusting winds — can reduce the clearance between the tail skid and the runway to zero.
Beyond the debris hazard on the surface, tail strike damage can compromise the pressurized fuselage structure of an aircraft. Even impacts that appear minor externally may require detailed nondestructive testing before the airplane is cleared to return to service. Kalitta confirmed the aircraft is being ferried to its heavy maintenance facility at Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport (OSC) in Michigan.
The 777-300ER has a longer fuselage than most widebody jets, making it geometrically more susceptible to tail strikes in high-pitch-attitude situations. Boeing equips the type with a tail-skid assembly designed to absorb contact forces and minimize structural damage when strikes occur.
CVG: A High-Traffic Cargo Environment
Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport consistently ranks among the top cargo airports in the United States. Its central location and 24-hour operations have made it a logistics hub for e-commerce and express freight, with Amazon Air maintaining a large presence there alongside DHL’s North American hub.
The volume of heavy freighters operating at CVG — including multiple 777-class and 747-class aircraft on overnight schedules — underscores why runway surface integrity matters especially at this airport. A debris-generating incident during peak evening operations compresses the time available for inspection before the next wave of departures.
The FAA’s investigation will examine the circumstances of the go-around maneuver, the aircraft’s flight data, and crew actions. Results are typically published through the agency’s incident reporting system, though timelines vary.
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Sources
- New York Post — Wild video captures sparks flying as Kalitta Air plane skids on runway at Kentucky airport
- Simple Flying — Sparks Fly After Kalitta Air Boeing 777-300 Tail Strike At Cincinnati Airport
- FOX19 WXIX — Sparks fly from cargo plane at CVG during attempted landing
- FAA (@FAANews) — Official statement on Kalitta Air Flight 264 tail strike, July 19, 2026
