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37000 Feet | Browse and search NASA's Aviation Safety Reporting System |
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The flight was uneventful until 10 seconds before the touchdown. The landing flare started early. Touchdown occurred at a slightly higher attitude than normal. As the spoilers deployed the aircraft pitched up. The flight attendant notified the flight crew of a scraping sound. A tail strike had occurred. The crew had been up all day and all night and this tail strike occurred before dawn.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 331329 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199603 |
| Day | Sat |
| Local Time Of Day | 0001 To 0600 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : ord |
| State Reference | IL |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Night |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B757 Undifferentiated or Other Model |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Navigation In Use | Other Other |
| Flight Phase | landing other |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : captain oversight : pic |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 150 flight time total : 20000 flight time type : 500 |
| ASRS Report | 331329 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : commercial pilot : cfi pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 5000 flight time type : 30 |
| ASRS Report | 331443 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : detected after the fact |
| Consequence | other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation |
Narrative:
B757 left las at XC59 local time en route to ord. The flight was uneventful until 10 seconds before touchdown. The landing flare started a little early. Touchdown occurred at a slightly higher attitude than normal, and as the spoilers deployed the aircraft pitched up a little more causing the tailstrike. My first indication of what had happened was a call from the flight attendant about a scraping sound after touchdown. After parking at the gate, the tail section was visually inspected and a tailstrike was confirmed. Contributing factors: the crew has been up all day in den, for XA35 departure to las, and then a departure from las at XC59 to ord, we have been up all day and all night, and I do think that fatigue had affected the judgement of visual cues as far as the landing portion of the flight. Supplemental information from acn 331443: I am fairly sure that some of the pitch up was initiated with the spoilers extending after touchdown. On the B757 the extension of the spoilers on touchdown can actually cause the nose to pitch up instead of down. This along with pulling back to hold the nose off the ground is what I think caused the tail to contact the ground.
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL 10 SECONDS BEFORE THE TOUCHDOWN. THE LNDG FLARE STARTED EARLY. TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED AT A SLIGHTLY HIGHER ATTITUDE THAN NORMAL. AS THE SPOILERS DEPLOYED THE ACFT PITCHED UP. THE FLT ATTENDANT NOTIFIED THE FLC OF A SCRAPING SOUND. A TAIL STRIKE HAD OCCURRED. THE CREW HAD BEEN UP ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT AND THIS TAIL STRIKE OCCURRED BEFORE DAWN.
Narrative: B757 LEFT LAS AT XC59 LCL TIME ENRTE TO ORD. THE FLT WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL 10 SECONDS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN. THE LNDG FLARE STARTED A LITTLE EARLY. TOUCHDOWN OCCURRED AT A SLIGHTLY HIGHER ATTITUDE THAN NORMAL, AND AS THE SPOILERS DEPLOYED THE ACFT PITCHED UP A LITTLE MORE CAUSING THE TAILSTRIKE. MY FIRST INDICATION OF WHAT HAD HAPPENED WAS A CALL FROM THE FLT ATTENDANT ABOUT A SCRAPING SOUND AFTER TOUCHDOWN. AFTER PARKING AT THE GATE, THE TAIL SECTION WAS VISUALLY INSPECTED AND A TAILSTRIKE WAS CONFIRMED. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: THE CREW HAS BEEN UP ALL DAY IN DEN, FOR XA35 DEP TO LAS, AND THEN A DEP FROM LAS AT XC59 TO ORD, WE HAVE BEEN UP ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT, AND I DO THINK THAT FATIGUE HAD AFFECTED THE JUDGEMENT OF VISUAL CUES AS FAR AS THE LNDG PORTION OF THE FLT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 331443: I AM FAIRLY SURE THAT SOME OF THE PITCH UP WAS INITIATED WITH THE SPOILERS EXTENDING AFTER TOUCHDOWN. ON THE B757 THE EXTENSION OF THE SPOILERS ON TOUCHDOWN CAN ACTUALLY CAUSE THE NOSE TO PITCH UP INSTEAD OF DOWN. THIS ALONG WITH PULLING BACK TO HOLD THE NOSE OFF THE GND IS WHAT I THINK CAUSED THE TAIL TO CONTACT THE GND.
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.