Lufthansa Boeing 747 pilots make a U-turn to Chicago O’Hare.

CHICAGO— A Lufthansa (LH) Boeing 747-8, registration D-ABYH, operating flight LH431 from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to Frankfurt/Main (FRA), returned to Chicago shortly after departure due to a landing gear problem. The aircraft landed safely following an in-flight fuel dump over Lake Michigan.

The incident occurred after takeoff from runway 09C at ORD, when the crew stopped the climb at 6,000 feet. The landing gear remained extended throughout the flight. After circling to burn and dump fuel, the aircraft landed on runway 10C at O’Hare about 75 minutes after departure and taxied to the apron without further incident.

Photo- Kiefer. from Frankfurt, Germany; Wikimedia Commons

Lufthansa 747 U-Turn

According to ground observers, the Boeing 747-8 never retracted its landing gear after liftoff. This was consistent with passenger reports, which noted that the flight crew informed them of a technical issue with the landing gear system.

After halting the climb, the crew maintained controlled flight while coordinating with air traffic control for a safe return. To reduce landing weight, the aircraft held a pattern over Lake Michigan to jettison fuel — a standard procedure for large, long-haul aircraft in such situations.

The decision to return to Chicago was made to ensure safe landing conditions and allow maintenance teams to assess the fault before the aircraft could continue its scheduled service to Frankfurt.

Photo: By tjdarmstadt – IMG_6836.jpg, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=61529638

Standard Safety Procedures in Action

Landing gear issues can range from sensor malfunctions to mechanical faults, and in most cases, airlines follow well-established safety protocols.

In this case, the Lufthansa crew demonstrated a textbook response — stopping the climb, avoiding unnecessary stress on the aircraft, and managing fuel weight for a controlled landing.

The Boeing 747-8 is equipped with multiple redundancies for its critical systems, including the landing gear. Flight crews are extensively trained to handle such anomalies while minimizing risk to both passengers and crew.

Passengers were returned to the terminal after landing. Lufthansa coordinated with ground staff at Chicago O’Hare (ORD) to rebook travelers on alternative flights to Frankfurt/Main (FRA). No injuries were reported among the passengers or crew.

Chicago O’Hare Airport operations were not significantly affected, and other departures and arrivals continued as scheduled. Maintenance inspections of the aircraft began immediately after the incident to identify the cause of the gear malfunction, the Aviation Herald reported.

Photo: By Aero Icarus from Zürich, Switzerland – Lufthansa Boeing 747-400; D-ABTA@BKK;29.07.2011/612bn, CC BY-SA 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26714287

Similar Incident

A Lufthansa (LH) Boeing 747-400 operating Flight LH470 from Frankfurt Airport (FRA) to Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ) returned to its departure airport on July 12, 2025, after the crew detected a persistent smell in the cabin.

The aircraft, registered D-ABVM, was cruising over the North Sea when pilots reported an odor resembling hot plastic. No smoke warnings or technical alerts were triggered, but the crew decided on a precautionary return to Frankfurt (FRA).

Lufthansa Flight LH470, a Boeing 747-430 bound for Toronto (YYZ), departed Frankfurt at approximately 14:00 UTC. The flight was at 36,000 feet near Newcastle, United Kingdom, when the smell was first reported.

At that point, the aircraft had already passed the Netherlands and was well into its planned transatlantic route.

Given the odor’s persistence and the potential risk of being hours away from the nearest diversion airport over the Atlantic, the crew decided to turn back.

Operational safety protocols dictate that unknown smells, especially those resembling burning or melting materials, warrant conservative action to protect passengers and crew.

The returning aircraft—D-ABVM—is a 27.5-year-old Boeing 747-430, one of the few remaining in Lufthansa’s long-haul fleet. The 747-400 series, while still reliable, requires attentive maintenance due to its age.

On this flight, all onboard systems showed normal readings, with no abnormal temperatures or smoke warnings.

The aircraft reached the northeast coast of England before turning southeast toward Frankfurt, where it landed without incident.

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