Atlas Air 747 Freighter Experiences Taxiway Excursion While Preparing for Departure

On March 16, 2026, Atlas Air Boeing 747-8F N862GT, operating flight 5Y7481 for Kuehne+Nagel, was preparing to depart Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama for Liège, Belgium. The freighter was still on the ground when it left the paved taxiway.

The aircraft's right-hand main and body landing gear came to rest in the grass alongside the taxiway. It remained upright, and no injuries were reported. The available account also reported no visible aircraft damage. Airport rescue personnel responded and the aircraft was subsequently recovered from the soft ground.

Weather was an important part of the circumstances. Light snow, reduced visibility and gusty winds were reported around the time of the event. Those conditions can make taxiway markings, pavement edges and surface conditions more difficult to judge, particularly when a large aircraft is being maneuvered at low speed.

The event did not become an airborne accident. The aircraft never reached the takeoff roll. Instead, the immediate problem was keeping a very large freighter on the paved taxi route while the departure operation was being prepared.

The aircraft and the event

N862GT is a Boeing 747-8F with manufacturer serial number 67149. The aircraft was delivered in 2022 and is operated by Atlas Air. The occurrence took place at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth, with the planned destination in Belgium.

The public account does not establish a confirmed mechanical cause for the excursion. Possible explanations such as steering, braking or loss of tire grip should therefore not be presented as findings. What is established is the ground excursion, the weather environment, the position of the landing gear and the safe outcome.

For a heavy freighter, a taxiway excursion can become a recovery problem even when there are no injuries. The aircraft must first be secured, the condition of the landing gear and structure assessed, and a safe method found to remove it from soft ground. In this case the aircraft was eventually extracted without a reported escalation.

Accident Facts

Recorded line: “On 16 March 2026, an Atlas Air-operated Boeing 747-8F cargo flight (5Y7481), managed for Kuehne+Nagel, experienced a ground incident at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Alabama.”

Sources

Aviation Safety Network occurrence 568060 — https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/568060

Flightradar24 aircraft record for N862GT — https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n862gt

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=okapqol166Q