German investigators have found that a Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 activated its brakes multiple times during the takeoff roll at Munich Airport, leading to a runway overrun and tail strike on 15 August. The BFU interim report, released on 28 September, says the aircraft bound for Hanoi ran out of paved runway before lifting off, damaging runway lights and causing substantial damage to the jet, while all passengers and crew escaped injury.
Flight-recorder data showed left brake-pedal movement early in the roll, with further braking later as speed briefly stalled at around 168 knots. The aircraft lifted off only after reaching the grass beyond the runway end. Investigators have not yet determined why the braking occurred and have seized brake-system components, including control units and electric brake actuator controllers, for further analysis.
The report shifts attention from a simple overrun to a more complex question involving possible crew input, brake-system behaviour or another control issue during a high-weight long-haul departure. Cockpit audio was overwritten, limiting one line of evidence, while the aircraft struck runway-end lighting and was later described as substantially damaged.