Narrative:

Flight ord-iah. Assigned runway 9L for takeoff. Winds were light and WX was not a factor. We were near our runway weight limit and used full takeoff power. Takeoff roll was rough due to uneven runway surface. At 'V1 rotate' call we had less than a comforting amount of runway remaining. As captain rotated aircraft, the approach lighting stands were clearly visible in the windscreen. Rotation was normal but aircraft seemed heavy. After gear retraction, the tailskid light did not extinguish. I suspected a defective sensing switch and at no tim contemplated that the skid may have had contact with the runway. Flap retraction was delayed to meet the aggressive altitude restr for the ord departure. Climb rate was slow but normal for a heavy B727. At the beginning of our next pairing, 4 days later, the captain advised me that the tailskid may have sustained damage on liftoff at ord. Apparently he had been contacted by maintenance after block-in at iah. His descriptions indicated more of a mechanical failure than compressor strut. Supplemental information from acn 412312: aircraft was assigned runway 9L by ord ground. Runway 9L is short and also very rough -- like 'riding a washboard'. I later remarked 'I've taken off from ord's runway 9L many times.' when 'V1 rotate' was called, we were approaching the 1000 ft marker at the end of runway 9L. I initiated a normal rotation. The possibility existed that I might hit the approach lights. That's when I continued to rotate the aircraft. The aircraft became airborne around the 1000 ft marker. With gear retraction, the 'tailskid light' went out, then reilluminated, indicating the tailskid was not retracted. Upon arrival in iah, I visually inspected the tailskid and found it swinging on its hinges. Maintenance said it was due to overrotation. The aircraft, after liftoff, had little climb performance. I feel that the aircraft was significantly heavier than what the 'accuload' gave (we had a 'full boat'). This was day #4 of a 4 day trip. We had put in some long hours. We had minimum crew rest in ewr with an AB40 morning scheduled push for ord. An inoperative APU and no external power cart delayed our flight to ord. Long duty days and minimum crew rest are the norm at our airline.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B727 CAPT OVERROTATES HIS ACFT AND IMPACTS THE TAILSKID ON RWY 9L AT ORD.

Narrative: FLT ORD-IAH. ASSIGNED RWY 9L FOR TKOF. WINDS WERE LIGHT AND WX WAS NOT A FACTOR. WE WERE NEAR OUR RWY WT LIMIT AND USED FULL TKOF PWR. TKOF ROLL WAS ROUGH DUE TO UNEVEN RWY SURFACE. AT 'V1 ROTATE' CALL WE HAD LESS THAN A COMFORTING AMOUNT OF RWY REMAINING. AS CAPT ROTATED ACFT, THE APCH LIGHTING STANDS WERE CLRLY VISIBLE IN THE WINDSCREEN. ROTATION WAS NORMAL BUT ACFT SEEMED HVY. AFTER GEAR RETRACTION, THE TAILSKID LIGHT DID NOT EXTINGUISH. I SUSPECTED A DEFECTIVE SENSING SWITCH AND AT NO TIM CONTEMPLATED THAT THE SKID MAY HAVE HAD CONTACT WITH THE RWY. FLAP RETRACTION WAS DELAYED TO MEET THE AGGRESSIVE ALT RESTR FOR THE ORD DEP. CLB RATE WAS SLOW BUT NORMAL FOR A HVY B727. AT THE BEGINNING OF OUR NEXT PAIRING, 4 DAYS LATER, THE CAPT ADVISED ME THAT THE TAILSKID MAY HAVE SUSTAINED DAMAGE ON LIFTOFF AT ORD. APPARENTLY HE HAD BEEN CONTACTED BY MAINT AFTER BLOCK-IN AT IAH. HIS DESCRIPTIONS INDICATED MORE OF A MECHANICAL FAILURE THAN COMPRESSOR STRUT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 412312: ACFT WAS ASSIGNED RWY 9L BY ORD GND. RWY 9L IS SHORT AND ALSO VERY ROUGH -- LIKE 'RIDING A WASHBOARD'. I LATER REMARKED 'I'VE TAKEN OFF FROM ORD'S RWY 9L MANY TIMES.' WHEN 'V1 ROTATE' WAS CALLED, WE WERE APCHING THE 1000 FT MARKER AT THE END OF RWY 9L. I INITIATED A NORMAL ROTATION. THE POSSIBILITY EXISTED THAT I MIGHT HIT THE APCH LIGHTS. THAT'S WHEN I CONTINUED TO ROTATE THE ACFT. THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE AROUND THE 1000 FT MARKER. WITH GEAR RETRACTION, THE 'TAILSKID LIGHT' WENT OUT, THEN REILLUMINATED, INDICATING THE TAILSKID WAS NOT RETRACTED. UPON ARR IN IAH, I VISUALLY INSPECTED THE TAILSKID AND FOUND IT SWINGING ON ITS HINGES. MAINT SAID IT WAS DUE TO OVERROTATION. THE ACFT, AFTER LIFTOFF, HAD LITTLE CLB PERFORMANCE. I FEEL THAT THE ACFT WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HEAVIER THAN WHAT THE 'ACCULOAD' GAVE (WE HAD A 'FULL BOAT'). THIS WAS DAY #4 OF A 4 DAY TRIP. WE HAD PUT IN SOME LONG HRS. WE HAD MINIMUM CREW REST IN EWR WITH AN AB40 MORNING SCHEDULED PUSH FOR ORD. AN INOP APU AND NO EXTERNAL PWR CART DELAYED OUR FLT TO ORD. LONG DUTY DAYS AND MINIMUM CREW REST ARE THE NORM AT OUR AIRLINE.

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.