Pilot saves jet from disaster in gale

An airliner caught by winds of more than 150 mph as it tried to land during a storm grazed its wingtip on the runway before the pilot wrestled it back off the ground.

The incident happened on Saturday as the Lufthansa Airbus A320, with 131 passengers on board, approached Hamburg airport on a flight from Munich.

An airline spokesman said the plane was rocked by wind clocked at 155 mph as it tried to land.

The left wing grazed the runway for a moment, but the pilot was able to stabilise the aircraft and take off again in what the spokesman called an "absolutely professional manoeuvre."

The plane landed safely shortly afterward on its second attempt.