Narrative:

Suffered a tail strike on takeoff power application during acceleration at campinas, brazil. An aborted takeoff was made at approximately 20-30 KTS and the nose was forcefully lowered to the ground. Upon unloading the aircraft, the weight of the cargo pallets were found not to be in agreement with the weight and balance load sheet, thereby placing the aircraft in an extremely tail heavy center of gravity position. The cargo, 75000 pounds of engine parts, was later found to be loaded on the aircraft in exactly the opposite way as computed by the aircraft load sheet. This placed the aircraft in an extremely aft center of gravity position, further complicated by the use of 3.3 units of nose up trim computed on takeoff. One of the factors in this incident was sheer fatigue caused by being on duty approximately 18-20 hours before the accident. After a rest period and a clear head, this first officer later found a mistake in the weight and balance computations, with an error in the computation of both the '0' fuel and takeoff center of gravity units -- although not enough to have caused this incident. The bottom line is that this incident was caused by grossly improper loading of the aircraft, further complicated by the addition of 3.3 units nose up trim. Upon the brake release and application of takeoff power, the aircraft began a fast nose pitch-up, causing a tail strike and minor sheet metal damage of the lower tail structure. Supplemental information from acn 250288: with about 4 pallets left to go the aircraft nose went up and the stick shakers went off while they were loading. This is not uncommon. The first officer and flight engineer and I looked at the aircraft. The nose gear scissors were extended and the tail stand was not touching the ground. I said let's see what it looks like after they complete the loading. The way these boxes are loaded you can only see the #1 position. I checked it against the paper work and it matched. On taxi out the aircraft felt normal and I did a few turns to see what it felt like. On takeoff we spooled the engines up to 1.4 EPR and pushed power up for takeoff 1.78 EPR. At about 30-40 KTS, the nose of aircraft severely pitched up and hit the tail. During the off loading of aircraft we checked all 14 position as they came off aircraft and the #1 pallet which I checked before taxi out was the only one loaded with reference to our weight and balance and load manifest. There seems to be a language breakdown or the loaders are saying yes they understand but really don't and don't want us to think they are stupid.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: WT AND BAL PROB ON TKOF. TKOF ABORTED. ACFT DAMAGED DURING TAIL STRIKE ON PREMATURE ROTATION.

Narrative: SUFFERED A TAIL STRIKE ON TKOF PWR APPLICATION DURING ACCELERATION AT CAMPINAS, BRAZIL. AN ABORTED TKOF WAS MADE AT APPROX 20-30 KTS AND THE NOSE WAS FORCEFULLY LOWERED TO THE GND. UPON UNLOADING THE ACFT, THE WT OF THE CARGO PALLETS WERE FOUND NOT TO BE IN AGREEMENT WITH THE WT AND BAL LOAD SHEET, THEREBY PLACING THE ACFT IN AN EXTREMELY TAIL HVY CTR OF GRAVITY POS. THE CARGO, 75000 LBS OF ENG PARTS, WAS LATER FOUND TO BE LOADED ON THE ACFT IN EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE WAY AS COMPUTED BY THE ACFT LOAD SHEET. THIS PLACED THE ACFT IN AN EXTREMELY AFT CTR OF GRAVITY POS, FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE USE OF 3.3 UNITS OF NOSE UP TRIM COMPUTED ON TKOF. ONE OF THE FACTORS IN THIS INCIDENT WAS SHEER FATIGUE CAUSED BY BEING ON DUTY APPROX 18-20 HRS BEFORE THE ACCIDENT. AFTER A REST PERIOD AND A CLEAR HEAD, THIS FO LATER FOUND A MISTAKE IN THE WT AND BAL COMPUTATIONS, WITH AN ERROR IN THE COMPUTATION OF BOTH THE '0' FUEL AND TKOF CTR OF GRAVITY UNITS -- ALTHOUGH NOT ENOUGH TO HAVE CAUSED THIS INCIDENT. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT THIS INCIDENT WAS CAUSED BY GROSSLY IMPROPER LOADING OF THE ACFT, FURTHER COMPLICATED BY THE ADDITION OF 3.3 UNITS NOSE UP TRIM. UPON THE BRAKE RELEASE AND APPLICATION OF TKOF PWR, THE ACFT BEGAN A FAST NOSE PITCH-UP, CAUSING A TAIL STRIKE AND MINOR SHEET METAL DAMAGE OF THE LOWER TAIL STRUCTURE. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 250288: WITH ABOUT 4 PALLETS LEFT TO GO THE ACFT NOSE WENT UP AND THE STICK SHAKERS WENT OFF WHILE THEY WERE LOADING. THIS IS NOT UNCOMMON. THE FO AND FE AND I LOOKED AT THE ACFT. THE NOSE GEAR SCISSORS WERE EXTENDED AND THE TAIL STAND WAS NOT TOUCHING THE GND. I SAID LET'S SEE WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE AFTER THEY COMPLETE THE LOADING. THE WAY THESE BOXES ARE LOADED YOU CAN ONLY SEE THE #1 POS. I CHKED IT AGAINST THE PAPER WORK AND IT MATCHED. ON TAXI OUT THE ACFT FELT NORMAL AND I DID A FEW TURNS TO SEE WHAT IT FELT LIKE. ON TKOF WE SPOOLED THE ENGS UP TO 1.4 EPR AND PUSHED PWR UP FOR TKOF 1.78 EPR. AT ABOUT 30-40 KTS, THE NOSE OF ACFT SEVERELY PITCHED UP AND HIT THE TAIL. DURING THE OFF LOADING OF ACFT WE CHKED ALL 14 POS AS THEY CAME OFF ACFT AND THE #1 PALLET WHICH I CHKED BEFORE TAXI OUT WAS THE ONLY ONE LOADED WITH REF TO OUR WT AND BAL AND LOAD MANIFEST. THERE SEEMS TO BE A LANGUAGE BREAKDOWN OR THE LOADERS ARE SAYING YES THEY UNDERSTAND BUT REALLY DON'T AND DON'T WANT US TO THINK THEY ARE STUPID.

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.