Storm Corrie: swaying BA plane 'skims runway' in high winds as it fails to land at Heathrow

A pilot has been praised for "averting disaster" as footage shows a British Airways passenger plane appear to skim the runway at Heathrow when it fails to land in high winds.

With gusts of up to 92mph battering some regions, the jet approached the London runway from Aberdeen on Monday afternoon.

It can be seen swaying heavily onto its left side as it approaches the tarmac in footage captured by Big Jet TV shows .

As the pilot steadies the plane, the tail then appears to make contact with the ground, creating what the aviation enthusiasts described as a cloud of "paint dust".

The plane then steadies, before flying off for another attempt.

Witnesses said a gap between buildings near the runway had created a funnel effect for the strong winds and praised the pilot for managing what was described as a "tail strike".

"In my view, the pilot deserves a medal," a Big Jet TV witness said, while fans of the aviation channel described the skipper as "brilliant".

A British Airways spokesperson told ITV News London: "Our pilots are highly trained to manage a range of scenarios, including extreme weather conditions, and our flight crew landed the aircraft safely.

"Our customers and crew all disembarked as normal."

Back-to-back storms over the weekend have left more than 45,000 homes without electricity across the country.

A nine-year-old boy in Staffordshire and a 60-year-old woman in Aberdeen died after trees were torn down on Saturday as Storm Malik took hold.

Storm Corrie brought winds of 92mph to Stornoway in the Western Isles of Scotland late on Sunday before pushing into the North Sea in the early hours of Monday, leaving cold and blustery conditions behind.