Narrative:

I was the flight attendant #1 on this aircraft. I was in the front, when I heard a PA being said. I really couldn't hear it and it was done right after takeoff. What I did next was call the flight attendants in the back to see what had been said, if they had heard, and that's when they told me that we would be going to land in iad. So I called the cockpit right after the flight attendant #2 told me so as to confirm it, and he said we had a tailskid problem, that the skid had hit the ground right after takeoff. At this point, I stopped setting up my galley for the service and put everything away. I really felt lost, since I had never heard of such a thing, and very shortly we were landing in iad. When we landed and got to the gate, the cockpit made an announcement to inform passenger that we would try to solve this matter at iad. That's when the agents knocked on my door and I helped her open it. The agents made a PA and then mechanics came on board. Shortly after, another PA was said to let passenger know that we were going to get off the plane, due to the fact that the aircraft was OTS. The agents then assisted passenger with a PA about connections and hotel arrangements and other things to help every passenger on board. We deplaned and that is when the flight was said to be canceled. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated that she felt that she was out of the loop, because she didn't hear the noise, and she was unaware that the aft flight attendant had contacted the cockpit. When she couldn't hear the captain's PA, and had to ask the aft flight attendants to translate for her, she really felt she was out of the loop. She believes that the aft flight attendants should have contacted her about the noise, instead of waiting to be asked. She also felt that the cockpit crew should have told her directly what the problem was and that they were diverting to iad, they did not prepare for an evacuate/evacuation, and that the landing seemed normal. Supplemental information from acn 469617: at 5 mins prior to departure, lavatory leak determined, lavatory drained, blocked and placarded. Amber 'tailskid' light remained on as gear retracted. Flight attendant called flight engineer at about 200-300 ft to report a 'loud noise' from the aft lavatory. Suspected tailskid strike. Postflt inspection revealed tailskid material separation, crush cartridge missing. (Subsequently the cartridge was recovered by iad operations at the departure end of our landing runway 1L at iad.) cartridge showed no evidence of having been crushed. Cartridge had fallen out of its sleeve near the taxiway we used to exit runway 1L. Supplemental information from acn 469616: 2 halves of tailskid assembly had separated allowing cartridge to fall out. Crush cartridge showed no indication of being crushed.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MULTIPLE PLT, CABIN ATTENDANT RPTS. B727, BWI-DFW. LOUD NOISE ON TKOF FROM AFT LAVATORY. TAILSKID AMBER LIGHT STAYED ON. DIVERT TO IAD. TAILSKID CARTRIDGE FELL OFF. MAINT PROC. FLT CANCELED.

Narrative: I WAS THE FLT ATTENDANT #1 ON THIS ACFT. I WAS IN THE FRONT, WHEN I HEARD A PA BEING SAID. I REALLY COULDN'T HEAR IT AND IT WAS DONE RIGHT AFTER TKOF. WHAT I DID NEXT WAS CALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK TO SEE WHAT HAD BEEN SAID, IF THEY HAD HEARD, AND THAT'S WHEN THEY TOLD ME THAT WE WOULD BE GOING TO LAND IN IAD. SO I CALLED THE COCKPIT RIGHT AFTER THE FLT ATTENDANT #2 TOLD ME SO AS TO CONFIRM IT, AND HE SAID WE HAD A TAILSKID PROB, THAT THE SKID HAD HIT THE GND RIGHT AFTER TKOF. AT THIS POINT, I STOPPED SETTING UP MY GALLEY FOR THE SVC AND PUT EVERYTHING AWAY. I REALLY FELT LOST, SINCE I HAD NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A THING, AND VERY SHORTLY WE WERE LNDG IN IAD. WHEN WE LANDED AND GOT TO THE GATE, THE COCKPIT MADE AN ANNOUNCEMENT TO INFORM PAX THAT WE WOULD TRY TO SOLVE THIS MATTER AT IAD. THAT'S WHEN THE AGENTS KNOCKED ON MY DOOR AND I HELPED HER OPEN IT. THE AGENTS MADE A PA AND THEN MECHS CAME ON BOARD. SHORTLY AFTER, ANOTHER PA WAS SAID TO LET PAX KNOW THAT WE WERE GOING TO GET OFF THE PLANE, DUE TO THE FACT THAT THE ACFT WAS OTS. THE AGENTS THEN ASSISTED PAX WITH A PA ABOUT CONNECTIONS AND HOTEL ARRANGEMENTS AND OTHER THINGS TO HELP EVERY PAX ON BOARD. WE DEPLANED AND THAT IS WHEN THE FLT WAS SAID TO BE CANCELED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THAT SHE FELT THAT SHE WAS OUT OF THE LOOP, BECAUSE SHE DIDN'T HEAR THE NOISE, AND SHE WAS UNAWARE THAT THE AFT FLT ATTENDANT HAD CONTACTED THE COCKPIT. WHEN SHE COULDN'T HEAR THE CAPT'S PA, AND HAD TO ASK THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS TO TRANSLATE FOR HER, SHE REALLY FELT SHE WAS OUT OF THE LOOP. SHE BELIEVES THAT THE AFT FLT ATTENDANTS SHOULD HAVE CONTACTED HER ABOUT THE NOISE, INSTEAD OF WAITING TO BE ASKED. SHE ALSO FELT THAT THE COCKPIT CREW SHOULD HAVE TOLD HER DIRECTLY WHAT THE PROB WAS AND THAT THEY WERE DIVERTING TO IAD, THEY DID NOT PREPARE FOR AN EVAC, AND THAT THE LNDG SEEMED NORMAL. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 469617: AT 5 MINS PRIOR TO DEP, LAVATORY LEAK DETERMINED, LAVATORY DRAINED, BLOCKED AND PLACARDED. AMBER 'TAILSKID' LIGHT REMAINED ON AS GEAR RETRACTED. FLT ATTENDANT CALLED FE AT ABOUT 200-300 FT TO RPT A 'LOUD NOISE' FROM THE AFT LAVATORY. SUSPECTED TAILSKID STRIKE. POSTFLT INSPECTION REVEALED TAILSKID MATERIAL SEPARATION, CRUSH CARTRIDGE MISSING. (SUBSEQUENTLY THE CARTRIDGE WAS RECOVERED BY IAD OPS AT THE DEP END OF OUR LNDG RWY 1L AT IAD.) CARTRIDGE SHOWED NO EVIDENCE OF HAVING BEEN CRUSHED. CARTRIDGE HAD FALLEN OUT OF ITS SLEEVE NEAR THE TXWY WE USED TO EXIT RWY 1L. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 469616: 2 HALVES OF TAILSKID ASSEMBLY HAD SEPARATED ALLOWING CARTRIDGE TO FALL OUT. CRUSH CARTRIDGE SHOWED NO INDICATION OF BEING CRUSHED.

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.