A Vietnam Airlines Boeing 787-9, scheduled to fly from Munich to Hanoi on August 15, 2026, overran the runway during takeoff. The aircraft, carrying 287 people, sustained significant structural damage but no injuries were reported among passengers or crew. The German aviation accident investigation office, known as the BFU, noted that several brake activations were recorded during the takeoff roll, though the cause remains under investigation. The flight, designated VN34, departed from Munich's runway 26L, which is 4,000 meters long. Three seconds after takeoff mode was activated, the recorders detected movement of both brake pedals on the left seat, occupied by the pilot. Additional brake system activations were recorded during the roll. The aircraft's speed remained close to 168 knots for about 18 seconds, with braking commands reaching a maximum of approximately 27% on the left and 17% on the right. Shortly before rotation, the co-pilot manually increased engine thrust. The aircraft pitched up at 163 knots, although the calculated rotation speed for this takeoff was 175 knots. The 787 passed the end of the runway and then the 60-meter clearway that extended it. Its wheel marks ended in the grass, about 240 meters beyond the opposite runway 08R threshold: it took off from this area. The main landing gear and the rear of the fuselage struck elements of the lighting markers; twenty lights were damaged. The fuselage sustained significant damage during the tail contact with the ground. An unusual data point regarding the takeoff sequence was the decision speed V1, set at 169 knots, which was only reached once the aircraft was already airborne, at approximately 3.4 meters height. The automatic stall protection system then commanded the full extension of the leading edge slats. The crew decided to abandon the flight to Hanoi and requested to return to Munich. Between 2:22 p.m. and 3:07 p.m. local time, it dumped 62 tons of fuel. Two passes with the landing gear extended allowed ground personnel to inspect it before landing on runway 26R at 3:56 p.m., about two hours after takeoff. Four tires on the left main landing gear were found damaged. Smoke was seen near this landing gear, but firefighters found no fire. Passengers exited the aircraft via mobile stairs, with no injuries reported. Vietnam Airlines indicated that it arranged for the continuation of their journey on its own flights or those of other airlines, with accommodation and assistance in the interim. Investigators have the flight data, but not the audio recording of the takeoff. The two cockpit voice recorders each only retained the last two hours: when the aircraft stopped after its return, the exchanges from the critical phase had been overwritten. The flight parameters allow the reconstruction of the control movements and the behavior of the aircraft, but not the conversations of the crew at that moment. This case illustrates the importance of longer-duration voice recorders, without prejudging what the missing conversations might have contributed. In the European Union, aircraft over 27 tonnes whose individual airworthiness certificate was issued from January 1, 2022, must be able to retain at least 25 hours of audio. The 787 involved was built in 2016; its recorders had a capacity of two hours. The BFU investigation remains open. The German office has seized the brake control units and the electric actuator controllers to examine them. Its report establishes that the brakes were activated during takeoff, but has not yet determined why these activations occurred.