Flight-recorder data from the Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9 that overran a runway at Munich Airport on August 15, 2026 shows two distinct braking events during the takeoff roll, both traced to brake pedals at the left pilot's seat, according to an interim report from the German Federal Bureau of Aircraft Accident Investigation (BFU).

The first brake-pedal movement and corresponding brake activation occurred shortly after the takeoff roll began. A second braking event, again from the left-seat pedals, took place shortly before the crew rotated the aircraft for liftoff. The BFU has not determined whether pilot action or a technical malfunction produced the inputs, and investigators have retained brake-system components and other aircraft parts for examination.

The aircraft, departing Munich for Hanoi with 271 passengers, 12 cabin crew and four pilots on board, lifted off from the grass beyond the runway after striking several approach lights with its tail section and both main landing gear. Nobody was injured, but the 787 sustained substantial damage. Four tires on the left main landing gear were found badly damaged after the aircraft returned.

The recorder data adds detail to a sequence that Vietnam's aviation authority had flagged within days of the incident, when it identified a possible braking problem based on preliminary information including the crew's account of the takeoff.

According to the report, the aircraft's indicated airspeed remained near 168 knots for about 18 seconds during the takeoff roll — a plateau consistent with the recorded brake applications. The pilot in the right seat increased engine thrust shortly before liftoff.

The crew began raising the nose before the aircraft reached its calculated rotation speed. The 787 then continued past the runway end and the clearway, becoming airborne from the grass surface. After the aircraft was airborne, the flight's designated pilot in command — who had occupied the left jump seat during the takeoff — took over the controls.

The pilot flying from the left seat was 64 years old and had accumulated 27,182 flight hours, the report states.

The crew dumped 62 metric tons of fuel after climbing away from Munich and landed back at the airport about two hours later.

One evidentiary gap will complicate the investigation: the cockpit voice recorder stored only two hours of audio, and the takeoff portion had been overwritten by the time investigators accessed the device. No cockpit audio from the takeoff could be recovered.

The interim report documents brake-pedal movement and brake-system activation but does not establish the cause of the incident. The BFU's examination of the retained brake-system components and other parts will determine whether the inputs originated with the crew or with a fault in the aircraft's braking system — a distinction that carries implications for both Vietnam Airlines' training procedures and Boeing 787 brake-system scrutiny. A final report will follow the technical examinations.