Narrative:

On takeoff at bdl when the gear handle was moved to up the tailskid light came on. Flight attendants at the rear of the aircraft reported hearing an unfamiliar noise. The cockpit crew contacted the company dispatcher and maintenance by radio. Their advice was to continue to destination, ord. As the aircraft climbed through 17000 ft the cabin began to climb at a slow but uncontrollable rate. The aircraft was then descended to 8000 ft and the cabin pressure stabilized. Dispatch and maintenance were again contacted, and the flight was diverted to cle. After landing, examination of the tailskid showed that the crushable cylinder had come out of its housing and that the skid plate had been sheared off the tailskid. The skid plate was later found on the runway at bdl. Takeoff rotation rate, angle, and speed all appeared normal. The tailskid cartridge did not crush as it is designed to do when the tailskid strikes the runway. I think that a mechanical failure caused the cartridge to fall from its housing during takeoff, further causing the strike plate to shear off. No structural damage to the pressure hull was found after landing, and the reason for loss of cabin pressure has not yet been determined. Supplemental information from acn 451766: the aircraft was on the takeoff roll with the nose at about 8-10 degrees nose up attitude (normal). The airspeed had just passed vr when the aircraft went through the intersection (active runway 24). The struts compressed as the aircraft hit a ridge or bump and the tailskid hit momentarily. There was no increase in nose-up attitude that would have induced a nose high attitude. I believe this runway has a ride or bump, that if hit with a high gross weight as ours (170000 pounds) aircraft, could and will cause a tailskid strike. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter indicated during callback that there had been a company investigation of the incident. It was determined that there was probably not an over rotation on takeoff and that there is a bump in the runway intersection that was the location of the rotation. When the heavy gross weight of the aircraft was considered it was thought that this could have resulted in the compression of the main struts and the resulting tail strike. Along with the missing tailskid parts which were recovered there was a runway centerline reflector clipped off. The flight attendant reporting unusual noise on takeoff reported on a single thump not a dragging sound. In regard to the loss of pressurization there has been no determination of the cause. There is a history of pressurization and door seal problems on this individual aircraft. Reporter as an aside complained of poor coverage at low altitude of the commercial radio network which made coordination with the company difficult.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: AIRLINE CREW HAD TAILSKID STRIKE ON TKOF. INFLT INABILITY TO PRESSURIZE CAUSED LNDG AT ENRTE ARPT.

Narrative: ON TKOF AT BDL WHEN THE GEAR HANDLE WAS MOVED TO UP THE TAILSKID LIGHT CAME ON. FLT ATTENDANTS AT THE REAR OF THE ACFT RPTED HEARING AN UNFAMILIAR NOISE. THE COCKPIT CREW CONTACTED THE COMPANY DISPATCHER AND MAINT BY RADIO. THEIR ADVICE WAS TO CONTINUE TO DEST, ORD. AS THE ACFT CLBED THROUGH 17000 FT THE CABIN BEGAN TO CLB AT A SLOW BUT UNCONTROLLABLE RATE. THE ACFT WAS THEN DSNDED TO 8000 FT AND THE CABIN PRESSURE STABILIZED. DISPATCH AND MAINT WERE AGAIN CONTACTED, AND THE FLT WAS DIVERTED TO CLE. AFTER LNDG, EXAMINATION OF THE TAILSKID SHOWED THAT THE CRUSHABLE CYLINDER HAD COME OUT OF ITS HOUSING AND THAT THE SKID PLATE HAD BEEN SHEARED OFF THE TAILSKID. THE SKID PLATE WAS LATER FOUND ON THE RWY AT BDL. TKOF ROTATION RATE, ANGLE, AND SPD ALL APPEARED NORMAL. THE TAILSKID CARTRIDGE DID NOT CRUSH AS IT IS DESIGNED TO DO WHEN THE TAILSKID STRIKES THE RWY. I THINK THAT A MECHANICAL FAILURE CAUSED THE CARTRIDGE TO FALL FROM ITS HOUSING DURING TKOF, FURTHER CAUSING THE STRIKE PLATE TO SHEAR OFF. NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE PRESSURE HULL WAS FOUND AFTER LNDG, AND THE REASON FOR LOSS OF CABIN PRESSURE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 451766: THE ACFT WAS ON THE TKOF ROLL WITH THE NOSE AT ABOUT 8-10 DEGS NOSE UP ATTITUDE (NORMAL). THE AIRSPD HAD JUST PASSED VR WHEN THE ACFT WENT THROUGH THE INTXN (ACTIVE RWY 24). THE STRUTS COMPRESSED AS THE ACFT HIT A RIDGE OR BUMP AND THE TAILSKID HIT MOMENTARILY. THERE WAS NO INCREASE IN NOSE-UP ATTITUDE THAT WOULD HAVE INDUCED A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE. I BELIEVE THIS RWY HAS A RIDE OR BUMP, THAT IF HIT WITH A HIGH GROSS WT AS OURS (170000 LBS) ACFT, COULD AND WILL CAUSE A TAILSKID STRIKE. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR INDICATED DURING CALLBACK THAT THERE HAD BEEN A COMPANY INVESTIGATION OF THE INCIDENT. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THERE WAS PROBABLY NOT AN OVER ROTATION ON TKOF AND THAT THERE IS A BUMP IN THE RWY INTXN THAT WAS THE LOCATION OF THE ROTATION. WHEN THE HVY GROSS WT OF THE ACFT WAS CONSIDERED IT WAS THOUGHT THAT THIS COULD HAVE RESULTED IN THE COMPRESSION OF THE MAIN STRUTS AND THE RESULTING TAIL STRIKE. ALONG WITH THE MISSING TAILSKID PARTS WHICH WERE RECOVERED THERE WAS A RWY CTRLINE REFLECTOR CLIPPED OFF. THE FLT ATTENDANT RPTING UNUSUAL NOISE ON TKOF RPTED ON A SINGLE THUMP NOT A DRAGGING SOUND. IN REGARD TO THE LOSS OF PRESSURIZATION THERE HAS BEEN NO DETERMINATION OF THE CAUSE. THERE IS A HISTORY OF PRESSURIZATION AND DOOR SEAL PROBS ON THIS INDIVIDUAL ACFT. RPTR AS AN ASIDE COMPLAINED OF POOR COVERAGE AT LOW ALT OF THE COMMERCIAL RADIO NETWORK WHICH MADE COORD WITH THE COMPANY DIFFICULT.

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.