Kalitta Air’s ‘Big Twin’ freighter suffers tail strike at CVG

A Kalitta Air Boeing 777-300ERSF freighter suffered a tail strike while attempting to land at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) on Sunday, July 19, aborting the approach before landing safely on a second attempt.

The aircraft, registered N778CK, is one of the first Boeing 777-300ERs converted into a freighter under Israel Aerospace Industries' (IAI) “Big Twin” conversion programme. The 21.4-year-old airframe was originally delivered to Emirates in March 2005 as A6-EBB and is powered by two GE90-115B engines. It is owned by lessor AerCap, which inherited the aircraft through its 2021 acquisition of GECAS.

Kalitta Air took delivery of the freighter in September 2025 as part of a seven-aircraft commitment, replacing its ageing 747-400s. Since entering service, N778CK has flown on behalf of DHL Express, one of Kalitta's long-standing customers, with CVG, home to DHL's largest global air hub, serving as one of the carrier's operating hubs.

The aircraft, operating as flight K4 264, had departed Brussels Airport at 5:47 PM local time on an 8-hour, 32-minute transatlantic flight. On approach into CVG, the rear underside of the fuselage struck the runway during a go-around, with sparks visible from the tail section as the aircraft climbed away before circling back for a successful landing at approximately 8:15 PM local time, the FAA confirmed via a post on X.

Video of the incident, captured by Jared Goffinet, was first reported by FOX19.

Kalitta Air's Chief Operating Officer, Heath Nicholl, confirmed the flight landed safely with no crew injuries. The aircraft has been withdrawn from service for inspection, he said, adding that the incident remains under review with no further details yet available. The statement was shared via the Breaking Aviation News & Videos account on X.

N778CK is scheduled to be ferried to Kalitta's heavy maintenance facility at Oscoda-Wurtsmith Airport (OSC) in Michigan for further inspection and repair before returning to service.

Kalitta Air, headquartered at Willow Run Airport in Ypsilanti Township, Michigan, operates an all-widebody freighter fleet of 747-400, 777-200F and 777-300ERSF aircraft, and was the global launch operator for IAI's Big Twin programme in 2025.