Tail strike on takeoff in air carrier widebody transport twin.

Attributes
ACN	243137
Time
Date	199305
Day	Sat
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : jfk
State Reference	NY
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 25000
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : jfk
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Widebody, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	climbout : initial climbout : takeoff
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : flight engineer pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 200 flight time total : 9500 flight time type : 700
ASRS Report	243137
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical conflict : ground critical non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other controllera other flight crewa other other : unspecified
Resolutory Action	other
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Narrative:

Shortly after takeoff tower reported they had seen sparks from the rear of the aircraft. We asked if sparks were still visible and tower responded no. From the cockpit the rotation had seemed normal to all 3 crew members and nothing abnormal was felt by PF. After cleaning aircraft up, captain asked relief pilot to call forward flight attendants to see if they had heard anything on takeoff. Forward cabin flight attendants replied nothing was heard. Aft flight attendants were called next. They said they had heard scraping on takeoff. Company maintenance was contacted and given information. With all system normal and no other adverse information it was decided by the captain and company maintenance it would be ok to continue to our destination. After leveling off at 25000 ft, captain asked the relief pilot to go to the back of the aircraft to inform the flight attendants what the noise had been on takeoff. On return to the cockpit he informed the captain that flight attendants in aft had also heard a loud metallic bang or crashing sound on rotation. The captain then called this flight attendant to the cockpit for more information. After receiving this new information the captain felt it would not be prudent to continue over water not knowing if there was damage to the aft fuselage. A request for return to jfk and fuel dump was received. Approximately 5 mins from landing or at GS intercept the aft flight attendants reported the same loud metallic noise. Approach was continued and a normal landing was made. Maintenance and flight crew inspected the aircraft after parking at the gate. Upon inspection, paint was missing from tailskid. Maintenance was asked to inspect aft cargo compartment. Upon doing so it was found that the cargo bins had come loose. Cargo bins were secured and a normal takeoff and landing followed. I believe that on takeoff the cargo bins shifted aft causing a slight movement of center of gravity to the rear causing tailskid contact. And upon pitching the aircraft down to follow the GS, the bins slid forward causing the banging noise just before landing. This container may have been opened to pull bags for some passenger that did not board the aircraft but had checked bags. After this had been done the container may not have been locked back in place.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAIL STRIKE ON TKOF IN ACR WDB TWIN.

Narrative: SHORTLY AFTER TKOF TWR RPTED THEY HAD SEEN SPARKS FROM THE REAR OF THE ACFT. WE ASKED IF SPARKS WERE STILL VISIBLE AND TWR RESPONDED NO. FROM THE COCKPIT THE ROTATION HAD SEEMED NORMAL TO ALL 3 CREW MEMBERS AND NOTHING ABNORMAL WAS FELT BY PF. AFTER CLEANING ACFT UP, CAPT ASKED RELIEF PLT TO CALL FORWARD FLT ATTENDANTS TO SEE IF THEY HAD HEARD ANYTHING ON TKOF. FORWARD CABIN FLT ATTENDANTS REPLIED NOTHING WAS HEARD. AFT FLT ATTENDANTS WERE CALLED NEXT. THEY SAID THEY HAD HEARD SCRAPING ON TKOF. COMPANY MAINT WAS CONTACTED AND GIVEN INFO. WITH ALL SYS NORMAL AND NO OTHER ADVERSE INFO IT WAS DECIDED BY THE CAPT AND COMPANY MAINT IT WOULD BE OK TO CONTINUE TO OUR DEST. AFTER LEVELING OFF AT 25000 FT, CAPT ASKED THE RELIEF PLT TO GO TO THE BACK OF THE ACFT TO INFORM THE FLT ATTENDANTS WHAT THE NOISE HAD BEEN ON TKOF. ON RETURN TO THE COCKPIT HE INFORMED THE CAPT THAT FLT ATTENDANTS IN AFT HAD ALSO HEARD A LOUD METALLIC BANG OR CRASHING SOUND ON ROTATION. THE CAPT THEN CALLED THIS FLT ATTENDANT TO THE COCKPIT FOR MORE INFO. AFTER RECEIVING THIS NEW INFO THE CAPT FELT IT WOULD NOT BE PRUDENT TO CONTINUE OVER WATER NOT KNOWING IF THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE AFT FUSELAGE. A REQUEST FOR RETURN TO JFK AND FUEL DUMP WAS RECEIVED. APPROX 5 MINS FROM LNDG OR AT GS INTERCEPT THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS RPTED THE SAME LOUD METALLIC NOISE. APCH WAS CONTINUED AND A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE. MAINT AND FLC INSPECTED THE ACFT AFTER PARKING AT THE GATE. UPON INSPECTION, PAINT WAS MISSING FROM TAILSKID. MAINT WAS ASKED TO INSPECT AFT CARGO COMPARTMENT. UPON DOING SO IT WAS FOUND THAT THE CARGO BINS HAD COME LOOSE. CARGO BINS WERE SECURED AND A NORMAL TKOF AND LNDG FOLLOWED. I BELIEVE THAT ON TKOF THE CARGO BINS SHIFTED AFT CAUSING A SLIGHT MOVEMENT OF CTR OF GRAVITY TO THE REAR CAUSING TAILSKID CONTACT. AND UPON PITCHING THE ACFT DOWN TO FOLLOW THE GS, THE BINS SLID FORWARD CAUSING THE BANGING NOISE JUST BEFORE LNDG. THIS CONTAINER MAY HAVE BEEN OPENED TO PULL BAGS FOR SOME PAX THAT DID NOT BOARD THE ACFT BUT HAD CHKED BAGS. AFTER THIS HAD BEEN DONE THE CONTAINER MAY NOT HAVE BEEN LOCKED BACK IN PLACE.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.