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Investigators have disclosed that a 100t weight error led the tail-strike protection mechanism to activate on an Air France Boeing 777F, spurring the crew to command full take-off thrust. Take-off parameters for the aircraft had been calculated using a weight of 243t rather than the actual figure of 343t, says French investigation authority BEA in its findings from the May 22, 2015 incident. This gross error meant the calculated rotation speed of 152kt, with flap position 5, was far below the 175kt and flap 15 required. Five seconds after the 777F rotated at 154kt from the runway at Paris Charles de Gaulle, its tail-strike protection system activated. The system used its maximum authority to stabilise the aircraft’s pitch at 9°. <br/>

A Delta Airlines flight from Beijing to Seattle was forced to land on a remote Alaskan island Monday after pilots were alerted to a “potential engine issue,” leaving almost 200 hundred on board stranded for more than 12 hours. The carrier sent another aircraft to pick up the 194 passengers, a Delta spokeswoman said. She didn’t have more information on the engine problem. The diverted plane, flight DL 128, was a Boeing 767-300ER. The plane sent from Seattle to pick up the passengers landed at Eareckson Air Station about 11 hours after their arrival. It was scheduled to turn around and come back after spending about 3 hours on the ground, arriving in Seattle at about 9 pm. The airline has sent maintenance technicians, customer service agents and a new crew to work on the flight back to Seattle. <br/>