Full Emirates jet just avoids worst aviation catastrophe

An Emirates plane came just centimetres from crashing at Melbourne Airport, authorities have revealed.

The fully-laden jet carrying 225 passengers and bound for Dubai last month had to use the entire 3,600-metre-long runway 16 but failed to become airborne until the last moment, News Limited newspapers say.

The pilots managed to pull the nose up sharply but smashed the jet's tail into the ground and also took out airport strobe lights 170 metres from the end of the runway.

The plane then took out navigation antennae before barely clearing the airport's boundary fence half a kilometre away.

"It was as close as we have ever come to a major aviation catastrophe in Australia," an aviation official told News Limited.

- AAP