Narrative:

I was to fly the leg from frankfurt to bombay on day 6 of a 9 day rotation. I had a copilot in the right seat who was new to the airplane and had revealed himself to be unreliable on procedures and technique. My body-time was telling me it was very early, despite the caffeine that I was giving it. The weight and balance data was entered into the FMS but I failed to immediately move my takeoff bugs on the airspeed indicator from the previous landing numbers to the higher takeoff numbers. On taxi out the checklists were performed but when 'airspeed indicators' were checked, I referred to the FMS page and read the speeds out aloud without actually referring to the airspeed indicator. I had memorized the 2 higher numbers from the approach page and crosschecked these 2 flap setting numbers by xrefing them on the airspeed indicator. I did not xchk my settings with the first officer's settings, nor did my 2 other pilots (first officer and relief first officer) compare my settings with their settings. The takeoff included a delay because someone got out of their seat just as we took the runway. The new copilot failed to make the required call at 80 KTS, '80 KTS engine instruments checked.' I made the call, and, as we passed through the 140 KTS speeds that my airspeed indicator was erroneously bugged, I assumed that the copilot had also failed to call V1 and vr. I began rotating at these speeds. Since the correct speeds were in the +160 KT range I scraped some paint off of the tailskid on rotation. We stopped our climb upon notification of our scrape and proceeded to return to frankfurt for an overweight landing. We leveled at 13000 ft, elected not to depressurize the aircraft and not to dump any fuel. The landing was performed at 25 degree flaps and was accomplished without overheating the brakes. We returned to a remote gate for tailskid and overweight landing inspections. Logbook write-ups were made. My method of setting and xchking the airspeed bugs was flawed and my fatigue allowed me to miss the check on taxi out. Lack of trust in my copilot made me assume he had made another omission and the fault was his and not mine.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: FLC OF B767ER HAS TAIL STRIKE ON TKOF. THEY RETURN FOR AN OVERWT LNDG.

Narrative: I WAS TO FLY THE LEG FROM FRANKFURT TO BOMBAY ON DAY 6 OF A 9 DAY ROTATION. I HAD A COPLT IN THE R SEAT WHO WAS NEW TO THE AIRPLANE AND HAD REVEALED HIMSELF TO BE UNRELIABLE ON PROCS AND TECHNIQUE. MY BODY-TIME WAS TELLING ME IT WAS VERY EARLY, DESPITE THE CAFFEINE THAT I WAS GIVING IT. THE WT AND BAL DATA WAS ENTERED INTO THE FMS BUT I FAILED TO IMMEDIATELY MOVE MY TKOF BUGS ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR FROM THE PREVIOUS LNDG NUMBERS TO THE HIGHER TKOF NUMBERS. ON TAXI OUT THE CHKLISTS WERE PERFORMED BUT WHEN 'AIRSPD INDICATORS' WERE CHKED, I REFERRED TO THE FMS PAGE AND READ THE SPDS OUT ALOUD WITHOUT ACTUALLY REFERRING TO THE AIRSPD INDICATOR. I HAD MEMORIZED THE 2 HIGHER NUMBERS FROM THE APCH PAGE AND XCHKED THESE 2 FLAP SETTING NUMBERS BY XREFING THEM ON THE AIRSPD INDICATOR. I DID NOT XCHK MY SETTINGS WITH THE FO'S SETTINGS, NOR DID MY 2 OTHER PLTS (FO AND RELIEF FO) COMPARE MY SETTINGS WITH THEIR SETTINGS. THE TKOF INCLUDED A DELAY BECAUSE SOMEONE GOT OUT OF THEIR SEAT JUST AS WE TOOK THE RWY. THE NEW COPLT FAILED TO MAKE THE REQUIRED CALL AT 80 KTS, '80 KTS ENG INSTS CHKED.' I MADE THE CALL, AND, AS WE PASSED THROUGH THE 140 KTS SPDS THAT MY AIRSPD INDICATOR WAS ERRONEOUSLY BUGGED, I ASSUMED THAT THE COPLT HAD ALSO FAILED TO CALL V1 AND VR. I BEGAN ROTATING AT THESE SPDS. SINCE THE CORRECT SPDS WERE IN THE +160 KT RANGE I SCRAPED SOME PAINT OFF OF THE TAILSKID ON ROTATION. WE STOPPED OUR CLB UPON NOTIFICATION OF OUR SCRAPE AND PROCEEDED TO RETURN TO FRANKFURT FOR AN OVERWT LNDG. WE LEVELED AT 13000 FT, ELECTED NOT TO DEPRESSURIZE THE ACFT AND NOT TO DUMP ANY FUEL. THE LNDG WAS PERFORMED AT 25 DEG FLAPS AND WAS ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT OVERHEATING THE BRAKES. WE RETURNED TO A REMOTE GATE FOR TAILSKID AND OVERWT LNDG INSPECTIONS. LOGBOOK WRITE-UPS WERE MADE. MY METHOD OF SETTING AND XCHKING THE AIRSPD BUGS WAS FLAWED AND MY FATIGUE ALLOWED ME TO MISS THE CHK ON TAXI OUT. LACK OF TRUST IN MY COPLT MADE ME ASSUME HE HAD MADE ANOTHER OMISSION AND THE FAULT WAS HIS AND NOT MINE.

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.