What happened
On May 7, 2010, at 1700 UTC, a Boeing 747-422, registration N128UA, operated by United Airlines, experienced a tailstrike during its departure from Sydney, Australia. Following the event, the aircraft returned to Sydney Airport (SYD) and landed safely. There were no injuries reported, and the aircraft sustained minor damage.
The investigation
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is conducting the investigation into the incident. As the state of manufacture, the United States designated an Accredited Representative to assist the ATSB under ICAO Annex 13 provisions.