Narrative:

Initial approach was planned for ILS runway 4R CAT I. Briefed for directional ht of 212 ft. WX was satisfactory for approach. As aircraft was downwind, approach controller informed us RVR was now decreasing. We briefed for CAT ii with directional ht of 112 ft on radar altitude using automatic/land. As aircraft turned inbound, second autoplt was connected and both ats channels failed. I tried to reset them twice but to no avail. I told the first officer to just hand fly the throttles. Then tower control told us runway 4R was below minimums, but runway 4L was 6000 ft plus RVR -- did we want to land on runway 4L? I accepted and tower controller gave us runway 4L frequency for ILS and a 20 degree left turn to intercept. Autoplt captured runway 4L ILS at about 4 mi to runway. We broke out and runway in sight at about 1 1/2 mi and 800 ft elevation. At 500 ft aircraft was stabilized with bug 140 KTS and sink rate of 700 FPM. Everything appeared normal except slightly right of centerline. At 50 ft aircraft began a flare. I then heard the stick shaker go off, and as I looked we were about bug -- 10 KTS and 30 ft on radar altimeter. I reached for throttles, which were then at idle position, and pushed them up to 12 O'clock just as aircraft touched down firmly with a nose high attitude. I took control of aircraft, disconnected the autoplt and closed the throttles, flew the nose to the ground and reversed thrust, bringing aircraft to a slow taxi speed and cleared the runway. Possible cause was rushed approach created by approach controller, and failure of the autothrottles which left the copilot confused as how to manually handle the throttles while using the autoplt to make an automatic landing. Throttles were closed at 50 ft as aircraft began to flare, causing a rapid speed decay. Throttles should not be closed in automatic/land mode until approximately 10 ft above runway. Supplemental information from acn 345848: we were flying the red eye flight from las to jfk. When we arrived in kennedy airspace from center they started us down, rapidly. When we were being vectored for an ILS runway 4R, we were still about 10000 ft on a downwind. The aircraft pitched up and we had a very hard landing. We had no indication of a tail skid so we believed it was just a hard landing. We parked the aircraft and maintenance came up and asked to speak to the captain. They went out and looked at the aircraft. I followed shortly thereafter. We saw that we had in fact hit the tail and had damaged the back of the aircraft.

Related reports:

Google
 

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HARD LNDG MADE IN AN L1011. AUTO THRUST SYS FOR THROTTLES WAS INOP DURING THE PROGRAMMED AUTO LAND.

Narrative: INITIAL APCH WAS PLANNED FOR ILS RWY 4R CAT I. BRIEFED FOR DIRECTIONAL HT OF 212 FT. WX WAS SATISFACTORY FOR APCH. AS ACFT WAS DOWNWIND, APCH CTLR INFORMED US RVR WAS NOW DECREASING. WE BRIEFED FOR CAT II WITH DIRECTIONAL HT OF 112 FT ON RADAR ALT USING AUTO/LAND. AS ACFT TURNED INBOUND, SECOND AUTOPLT WAS CONNECTED AND BOTH ATS CHANNELS FAILED. I TRIED TO RESET THEM TWICE BUT TO NO AVAIL. I TOLD THE FO TO JUST HAND FLY THE THROTTLES. THEN TWR CTL TOLD US RWY 4R WAS BELOW MINIMUMS, BUT RWY 4L WAS 6000 FT PLUS RVR -- DID WE WANT TO LAND ON RWY 4L? I ACCEPTED AND TWR CTLR GAVE US RWY 4L FREQ FOR ILS AND A 20 DEG L TURN TO INTERCEPT. AUTOPLT CAPTURED RWY 4L ILS AT ABOUT 4 MI TO RWY. WE BROKE OUT AND RWY IN SIGHT AT ABOUT 1 1/2 MI AND 800 FT ELEVATION. AT 500 FT ACFT WAS STABILIZED WITH BUG 140 KTS AND SINK RATE OF 700 FPM. EVERYTHING APPEARED NORMAL EXCEPT SLIGHTLY R OF CTRLINE. AT 50 FT ACFT BEGAN A FLARE. I THEN HEARD THE STICK SHAKER GO OFF, AND AS I LOOKED WE WERE ABOUT BUG -- 10 KTS AND 30 FT ON RADAR ALTIMETER. I REACHED FOR THROTTLES, WHICH WERE THEN AT IDLE POS, AND PUSHED THEM UP TO 12 O'CLOCK JUST AS ACFT TOUCHED DOWN FIRMLY WITH A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. I TOOK CTL OF ACFT, DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND CLOSED THE THROTTLES, FLEW THE NOSE TO THE GND AND REVERSED THRUST, BRINGING ACFT TO A SLOW TAXI SPD AND CLRED THE RWY. POSSIBLE CAUSE WAS RUSHED APCH CREATED BY APCH CTLR, AND FAILURE OF THE AUTOTHROTTLES WHICH LEFT THE COPLT CONFUSED AS HOW TO MANUALLY HANDLE THE THROTTLES WHILE USING THE AUTOPLT TO MAKE AN AUTOMATIC LNDG. THROTTLES WERE CLOSED AT 50 FT AS ACFT BEGAN TO FLARE, CAUSING A RAPID SPD DECAY. THROTTLES SHOULD NOT BE CLOSED IN AUTO/LAND MODE UNTIL APPROX 10 FT ABOVE RWY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 345848: WE WERE FLYING THE RED EYE FLT FROM LAS TO JFK. WHEN WE ARRIVED IN KENNEDY AIRSPACE FROM CTR THEY STARTED US DOWN, RAPIDLY. WHEN WE WERE BEING VECTORED FOR AN ILS RWY 4R, WE WERE STILL ABOUT 10000 FT ON A DOWNWIND. THE ACFT PITCHED UP AND WE HAD A VERY HARD LNDG. WE HAD NO INDICATION OF A TAIL SKID SO WE BELIEVED IT WAS JUST A HARD LNDG. WE PARKED THE ACFT AND MAINT CAME UP AND ASKED TO SPEAK TO THE CAPT. THEY WENT OUT AND LOOKED AT THE ACFT. I FOLLOWED SHORTLY THEREAFTER. WE SAW THAT WE HAD IN FACT HIT THE TAIL AND HAD DAMAGED THE BACK OF THE ACFT.

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.