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B727-200 suffers tail strike on takeoff. Captain had adjusted stabilizer trim during a slower than expected rotation to ease nose heavy tendency.
| Attributes | |
| ACN | 359458 |
| Time | |
| Date | 199701 |
| Day | Fri |
| Local Time Of Day | 0601 To 1200 |
| Place | |
| Locale Reference | airport : sju |
| State Reference | PR |
| Altitude | agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0 |
| Environment | |
| Flight Conditions | VMC |
| Light | Daylight |
| Aircraft 1 | |
| Controlling Facilities | tower : jfk |
| Operator | common carrier : air carrier |
| Make Model Name | B727-200 |
| Operating Under FAR Part | Part 121 |
| Flight Phase | climbout : takeoff ground : preflight |
| Flight Plan | IFR |
| Person 1 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : first officer |
| Qualification | pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 100 flight time total : 15000 flight time type : 11000 |
| ASRS Report | 359458 |
| Person 2 | |
| Affiliation | company : air carrier |
| Function | flight crew : second officer |
| Qualification | pilot : flight engineer pilot : atp |
| Experience | flight time last 90 days : 245 flight time total : 14200 flight time type : 8000 |
| ASRS Report | 358539 |
| Events | |
| Anomaly | aircraft equipment problem : critical non adherence : far non adherence : published procedure other anomaly other |
| Independent Detector | aircraft equipment other aircraft equipment : unspecified other other : unspecified |
| Resolutory Action | none taken : anomaly accepted |
| Consequence | other Other |
| Supplementary | |
| Primary Problem | Aircraft |
| Air Traffic Incident | Pilot Deviation other |
| Situations | |
| Airport | other physical facility |
Narrative:
Takeoff on runway 8 at sju. Tailskid light stayed on after gear retraction. Since no thump or any other indication was observed during rotation, this light was a surprise and considered a faulty indication problem and not an actual tailskid strike with the runway. Nonetheless, the tailskid portion of the abnormal procedures checklist was initiated as a precautionary procedure (aft lavatory water supply shutoff, etc) and fuel burn en route was closely monitored. (Note: fuel burn did not increase 10% as if the tailskid was down and damaged -- fuel usage normal.) also, flight attendants called cockpit and said they felt a bump at liftoff. However, there are 2 bumps at end of runway 8 and these calls are actually customary. Since we felt absolutely nothing, we dismissed the idea of an actual tailskid strike. Aircraft was loaded with above normal forward center of gravity (7 units aft trim versus normal 5 - 5 1/2 aft trim). Flight continued to ewr totally uneventful. Upon landing in ewr, tailskid block was missing. Supplemental information from acn 358539: after vr plus, about midway through the rotation, the takeoff warning horn sounded. The aircraft was very near maximum structural weight and was slow to liftoff. After takeoff the cause of the horn was determined to be the stabilizer trim out of limits toward aft. The captain stated that the airplane was very nose heavy during the rotation, so he ran the trim back to ease the yoke pressure. Since rotation was very smooth and well controled, we considered the possibility that the aircraft had been misloaded (either too heavy or center of gravity miscalculated).
Original NASA ASRS Text
Title: B727-200 SUFFERS TAIL STRIKE ON TKOF. CAPT HAD ADJUSTED STABILIZER TRIM DURING A SLOWER THAN EXPECTED ROTATION TO EASE NOSE HVY TENDENCY.
Narrative: TKOF ON RWY 8 AT SJU. TAILSKID LIGHT STAYED ON AFTER GEAR RETRACTION. SINCE NO THUMP OR ANY OTHER INDICATION WAS OBSERVED DURING ROTATION, THIS LIGHT WAS A SURPRISE AND CONSIDERED A FAULTY INDICATION PROB AND NOT AN ACTUAL TAILSKID STRIKE WITH THE RWY. NONETHELESS, THE TAILSKID PORTION OF THE ABNORMAL PROCS CHKLIST WAS INITIATED AS A PRECAUTIONARY PROC (AFT LAVATORY WATER SUPPLY SHUTOFF, ETC) AND FUEL BURN ENRTE WAS CLOSELY MONITORED. (NOTE: FUEL BURN DID NOT INCREASE 10% AS IF THE TAILSKID WAS DOWN AND DAMAGED -- FUEL USAGE NORMAL.) ALSO, FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED COCKPIT AND SAID THEY FELT A BUMP AT LIFTOFF. HOWEVER, THERE ARE 2 BUMPS AT END OF RWY 8 AND THESE CALLS ARE ACTUALLY CUSTOMARY. SINCE WE FELT ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, WE DISMISSED THE IDEA OF AN ACTUAL TAILSKID STRIKE. ACFT WAS LOADED WITH ABOVE NORMAL FORWARD CTR OF GRAVITY (7 UNITS AFT TRIM VERSUS NORMAL 5 - 5 1/2 AFT TRIM). FLT CONTINUED TO EWR TOTALLY UNEVENTFUL. UPON LNDG IN EWR, TAILSKID BLOCK WAS MISSING. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 358539: AFTER VR PLUS, ABOUT MIDWAY THROUGH THE ROTATION, THE TKOF WARNING HORN SOUNDED. THE ACFT WAS VERY NEAR MAX STRUCTURAL WT AND WAS SLOW TO LIFTOFF. AFTER TKOF THE CAUSE OF THE HORN WAS DETERMINED TO BE THE STABILIZER TRIM OUT OF LIMITS TOWARD AFT. THE CAPT STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE WAS VERY NOSE HVY DURING THE ROTATION, SO HE RAN THE TRIM BACK TO EASE THE YOKE PRESSURE. SINCE ROTATION WAS VERY SMOOTH AND WELL CTLED, WE CONSIDERED THE POSSIBILITY THAT THE ACFT HAD BEEN MISLOADED (EITHER TOO HVY OR CTR OF GRAVITY MISCALCULATED).
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.