B737-800 flight crew reported experiencing a tail strike on takeoff in gusty winds at tpa.

Attributes
ACN	1326976
Time
Date	201601
Local Time Of Day	0601-1200
Place
Locale Reference	TPA.Airport
State Reference	FL
Environment
Flight Conditions	Mixed
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	B737-800
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	Takeoff
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Captain
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 237 Flight Crew Type 8000
Person 2
Function	Pilot Not Flying First Officer
Qualification	Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 159
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Critical Ground Event / Encounter Ground Strike - Aircraft Inflight Event / Encounter Weather / Turbulence

Narrative:

Tpa winds were approximately 300/17g30. Departing runway 1R; just prior to vr; we experienced a strong gusting left crosswind. At vr I rotated; but the aircraft climb was sluggish with the gusty winds; so I increased the pitch to establish a positive rate of climb. The rest of the takeoff was turbulent; but uneventful. Upon arriving at [destination]; I checked the aircraft condition monitoring system (acms) pitch limit indicator and it was 14; so I conducted an external inspection of the tail skid and discovered there had been contact. The crushable cartridge was still showing green and the skid plate dimples were visible. Dispatch and maintenance were notified.with the gusty crosswind conditions a max performance takeoff might have helped. If I was using the head-up guidance system (hgs); I might have been advised of the tailstrike from the tailstrike indicator.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B737-800 flight crew reported experiencing a tail strike on takeoff in gusty winds at TPA.

Narrative: TPA winds were approximately 300/17G30. Departing Runway 1R; just prior to VR; we experienced a strong gusting left crosswind. At VR I rotated; but the aircraft climb was sluggish with the gusty winds; so I increased the pitch to establish a positive rate of climb. The rest of the takeoff was turbulent; but uneventful. Upon arriving at [destination]; I checked the Aircraft Condition Monitoring System (ACMS) pitch limit indicator and it was 14; so I conducted an external inspection of the tail skid and discovered there had been contact. The crushable cartridge was still showing green and the skid plate dimples were visible. Dispatch and Maintenance were notified.With the gusty crosswind conditions a max performance takeoff might have helped. If I was using the Head-up Guidance System (HGS); I might have been advised of the tailstrike from the tailstrike indicator.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.