Narrative:

On jun/xx/94 I was captain on flight to dtw. On arrival at dtw we were given a visual approach to runway 21L. The wind was from the west or southwest. While in the flare we experienced a gust that kept the aircraft from touching down for a second or so, then quit. The aircraft landed firm and bounced: the automatic spoilers did not deploy. The nose pitched up and the aircraft rolled to the right. First officer immediately rolled level, lowered the nose and landed again. I started manual spoilers and the automatic spoiler motor was immediately behind me continuing the ground spoiler extension. While firm, this landing gave no indication that we should request a hard landing inspection or have any further reason for concern. After deplaning I walked from gate to the concourse to stow my bag, then returned toward gate to go home. While passing gate I heard part of an announcement about possible cancellation which I thought strange as I was aware of no inbound write-ups. I asked a passenger in the boarding area about the announcement and he stated he didn't hear all of it but it was something about aircraft damage. With that I went straight to the aircraft where I found part of the outbound crew and I asked them about it. They advised me there was right wingtip damage. I walked out to view the damage. I was shocked and amazed one could scruff a wingtip and not be aware of it up front. Supplemental information from acn 273385: the captain got a final head check for me and I remembered it as being either 240 degrees or 260 degrees at 16 KTS. My confidence was high that this would be nothing more than another good landing as I was concentrating very hard and working very hard for one. We had 2 jumpseaters on board and I also wanted to impress them. So there was no relaxation or sloughing off on my part. I made a normal attitude flare, instead of the expected normal touchdown, the aircraft started about a 2 second float in a level attitude. Then suddenly went down in that same attitude. The touchdown was very firm, with the nose slanting up quickly followed by a right wing dip which I corrected immediately. I had the automatic-spoilers armed. I had the automatic brakes off. The aircraft had started to float, it did not run out of airspeed. Rather, I felt that the plane was pushed down to the runway. I remember while taxiing back along the parallel taxiway watching one of our dc-9's and another carrier's 727 land, and bounce that at least mine (landing) couldn't have been as bad as these. Had I to do the approach and landing again with the same information I had before, I would have done absolutely nothing different.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FIRM TO HARD LNDG. TEMPORARY LOSS OF ACFT CTL. ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: ON JUN/XX/94 I WAS CAPT ON FLT TO DTW. ON ARR AT DTW WE WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 21L. THE WIND WAS FROM THE W OR SW. WHILE IN THE FLARE WE EXPERIENCED A GUST THAT KEPT THE ACFT FROM TOUCHING DOWN FOR A SECOND OR SO, THEN QUIT. THE ACFT LANDED FIRM AND BOUNCED: THE AUTO SPOILERS DID NOT DEPLOY. THE NOSE PITCHED UP AND THE ACFT ROLLED TO THE R. FO IMMEDIATELY ROLLED LEVEL, LOWERED THE NOSE AND LANDED AGAIN. I STARTED MANUAL SPOILERS AND THE AUTO SPOILER MOTOR WAS IMMEDIATELY BEHIND ME CONTINUING THE GND SPOILER EXTENSION. WHILE FIRM, THIS LNDG GAVE NO INDICATION THAT WE SHOULD REQUEST A HARD LNDG INSPECTION OR HAVE ANY FURTHER REASON FOR CONCERN. AFTER DEPLANING I WALKED FROM GATE TO THE CONCOURSE TO STOW MY BAG, THEN RETURNED TOWARD GATE TO GO HOME. WHILE PASSING GATE I HEARD PART OF AN ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT POSSIBLE CANCELLATION WHICH I THOUGHT STRANGE AS I WAS AWARE OF NO INBOUND WRITE-UPS. I ASKED A PAX IN THE BOARDING AREA ABOUT THE ANNOUNCEMENT AND HE STATED HE DIDN'T HEAR ALL OF IT BUT IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT ACFT DAMAGE. WITH THAT I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE ACFT WHERE I FOUND PART OF THE OUTBOUND CREW AND I ASKED THEM ABOUT IT. THEY ADVISED ME THERE WAS R WINGTIP DAMAGE. I WALKED OUT TO VIEW THE DAMAGE. I WAS SHOCKED AND AMAZED ONE COULD SCRUFF A WINGTIP AND NOT BE AWARE OF IT UP FRONT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 273385: THE CAPT GOT A FINAL HEAD CHK FOR ME AND I REMEMBERED IT AS BEING EITHER 240 DEGS OR 260 DEGS AT 16 KTS. MY CONFIDENCE WAS HIGH THAT THIS WOULD BE NOTHING MORE THAN ANOTHER GOOD LNDG AS I WAS CONCENTRATING VERY HARD AND WORKING VERY HARD FOR ONE. WE HAD 2 JUMPSEATERS ON BOARD AND I ALSO WANTED TO IMPRESS THEM. SO THERE WAS NO RELAXATION OR SLOUGHING OFF ON MY PART. I MADE A NORMAL ATTITUDE FLARE, INSTEAD OF THE EXPECTED NORMAL TOUCHDOWN, THE ACFT STARTED ABOUT A 2 SECOND FLOAT IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE. THEN SUDDENLY WENT DOWN IN THAT SAME ATTITUDE. THE TOUCHDOWN WAS VERY FIRM, WITH THE NOSE SLANTING UP QUICKLY FOLLOWED BY A RIGHT WING DIP WHICH I CORRECTED IMMEDIATELY. I HAD THE AUTO-SPOILERS ARMED. I HAD THE AUTO BRAKES OFF. THE ACFT HAD STARTED TO FLOAT, IT DID NOT RUN OUT OF AIRSPD. RATHER, I FELT THAT THE PLANE WAS PUSHED DOWN TO THE RWY. I REMEMBER WHILE TAXIING BACK ALONG THE PARALLEL TXWY WATCHING ONE OF OUR DC-9'S AND ANOTHER CARRIER'S 727 LAND, AND BOUNCE THAT AT LEAST MINE (LNDG) COULDN'T HAVE BEEN AS BAD AS THESE. HAD I TO DO THE APCH AND LNDG AGAIN WITH THE SAME INFO I HAD BEFORE, I WOULD HAVE DONE ABSOLUTELY NOTHING DIFFERENT.

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.