The tail section of a Saudia Cargo Boeing 747-400 Freighter, operated by ACT Airlines (MyCargo Airlines), was torn open after it struck the runway during its takeoff run out of Dammam King Fahd Airport, on the 1st of February 2020.

Registered TC-MCT, the aircraft was performing flight SV919 from Dammam King Fahd Airport, Saudi Arabia to Zaragoza Airport, Spain when during departure from runway 16R the tail struck the ground.

Noticing the tail strike, the pilots levelled the aircraft off at 7,000 feet to assess the situation; they then commenced a climb to 10,000, 15,000 and then later 18,000 feet.

Rather than returning to Dammam the pilots elected to divert to Jeddah, to perform a successful landing around two hours and fifty minutes after their departure.

Photos of the incident show significant damage to the underside of the tail section, where the runway surface tore open the aluminium skin and ground it away.





MyCargo Boeing B747-400 (TC-MCT) experienced tailstrike on departure at Damman, RSA. Flight #SV919 to Zaragoza diverted to Jeddah. pic.twitter.com/LnbC9MudXT — JACDEC (@JacdecNew) February 2, 2020

The aircraft will remain on the ground until an assessment of the damage is completed and appropriate repairs are undertaken.

An investigation will likely be launched as to why the aircraft struck its tail during its rotation.

Saudia Airlines and ACT Airlines (MyCargo Airlines) has been contacted by us for a statement regarding this incident.