Narrative:

Normal approach in VMC at night. After touchdown, nose started to rise. I have seen this on occasion before, but relaxing back pressure always solved the problem, with one instance where I felt to push the yoke. This time, the nose continued to rise, and to a point higher than I had ever seen before. Relaxing the back pressure did not have the desired effect, and I never really pushed on the yoke. The result was to scrape approximately 2 inches off of 2 air phone antennas. Other than the abnormal nose attitude, there was absolutely no indication in the cockpit that we were scraping or had scraped anything. As we were taxiing off the runway, the flight attendants called and said they had heard a loud scraping sound beneath their feet after touchdown at the gate and I went out to look it over. The only thing I could find was the 2 now-shortened antennas with scrape marks on them. I wrote it in the logbook and left it to the maintenance folks. Apparently the only corrective action necessary was replacement of the air phone antennas. I have thought a lot about this, and I still have absolutely no idea what I did to cause the nose to come up. There was nothing abnormal about the approach or touchdown. I do remember a definite increase in back pressure on the yoke shortly before touchdown, but nothing inordinate at all. I am at a complete loss as to why the nose came up like this. However, it is evident that I did not recognize or react in a timely and aggressive enough manner to preclude scraping the antennas. It was the end of a lengthy day, and I was certainly caught by surprise. I was quite tired at the time, having then flown 26 hours in 5 days, with what turned out to be an all-night commute between trips on days 2 and 3. I do believe that the resultant fatigue played a significant role in my delayed recognition and inadequately aggressive reaction. I wish I had more answers here, but to state the obvious, fatigue is a very insidious problem. I was fully aware that I was tired, yet I thought I had allowed adequate margin for that. What I had hoped would be relief to just get the aircraft on the ground and have the day over with turned out instead to be a humbling lesson in what I already knew -- the flight isn't over until I'm at the gate with the engines shut down! You must continue to anticipate and be ready to react at any point until that time. While I was unlucky to the extent that just about 2 inches less tip would have left everything in the clear, I know I was even luckier in that 2 inches more tip could have done some significant damage to the plane. And while I'm quite glad that I was lucky enough to only ding the antennas, this is extremely embarrassing and very disquieting, and it's going to stay with me for a long, long time.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE PIC OF A B737-400 DAMAGES THE AIR PHONE ANTENNAS LOCATED NEAR THE TAIL SECTION DURING LNDG AT PHX, AZ.

Narrative: NORMAL APCH IN VMC AT NIGHT. AFTER TOUCHDOWN, NOSE STARTED TO RISE. I HAVE SEEN THIS ON OCCASION BEFORE, BUT RELAXING BACK PRESSURE ALWAYS SOLVED THE PROB, WITH ONE INSTANCE WHERE I FELT TO PUSH THE YOKE. THIS TIME, THE NOSE CONTINUED TO RISE, AND TO A POINT HIGHER THAN I HAD EVER SEEN BEFORE. RELAXING THE BACK PRESSURE DID NOT HAVE THE DESIRED EFFECT, AND I NEVER REALLY PUSHED ON THE YOKE. THE RESULT WAS TO SCRAPE APPROX 2 INCHES OFF OF 2 AIR PHONE ANTENNAS. OTHER THAN THE ABNORMAL NOSE ATTITUDE, THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO INDICATION IN THE COCKPIT THAT WE WERE SCRAPING OR HAD SCRAPED ANYTHING. AS WE WERE TAXIING OFF THE RWY, THE FLT ATTENDANTS CALLED AND SAID THEY HAD HEARD A LOUD SCRAPING SOUND BENEATH THEIR FEET AFTER TOUCHDOWN AT THE GATE AND I WENT OUT TO LOOK IT OVER. THE ONLY THING I COULD FIND WAS THE 2 NOW-SHORTENED ANTENNAS WITH SCRAPE MARKS ON THEM. I WROTE IT IN THE LOGBOOK AND LEFT IT TO THE MAINT FOLKS. APPARENTLY THE ONLY CORRECTIVE ACTION NECESSARY WAS REPLACEMENT OF THE AIR PHONE ANTENNAS. I HAVE THOUGHT A LOT ABOUT THIS, AND I STILL HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA WHAT I DID TO CAUSE THE NOSE TO COME UP. THERE WAS NOTHING ABNORMAL ABOUT THE APCH OR TOUCHDOWN. I DO REMEMBER A DEFINITE INCREASE IN BACK PRESSURE ON THE YOKE SHORTLY BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, BUT NOTHING INORDINATE AT ALL. I AM AT A COMPLETE LOSS AS TO WHY THE NOSE CAME UP LIKE THIS. HOWEVER, IT IS EVIDENT THAT I DID NOT RECOGNIZE OR REACT IN A TIMELY AND AGGRESSIVE ENOUGH MANNER TO PRECLUDE SCRAPING THE ANTENNAS. IT WAS THE END OF A LENGTHY DAY, AND I WAS CERTAINLY CAUGHT BY SURPRISE. I WAS QUITE TIRED AT THE TIME, HAVING THEN FLOWN 26 HRS IN 5 DAYS, WITH WHAT TURNED OUT TO BE AN ALL-NIGHT COMMUTE BTWN TRIPS ON DAYS 2 AND 3. I DO BELIEVE THAT THE RESULTANT FATIGUE PLAYED A SIGNIFICANT ROLE IN MY DELAYED RECOGNITION AND INADEQUATELY AGGRESSIVE REACTION. I WISH I HAD MORE ANSWERS HERE, BUT TO STATE THE OBVIOUS, FATIGUE IS A VERY INSIDIOUS PROB. I WAS FULLY AWARE THAT I WAS TIRED, YET I THOUGHT I HAD ALLOWED ADEQUATE MARGIN FOR THAT. WHAT I HAD HOPED WOULD BE RELIEF TO JUST GET THE ACFT ON THE GND AND HAVE THE DAY OVER WITH TURNED OUT INSTEAD TO BE A HUMBLING LESSON IN WHAT I ALREADY KNEW -- THE FLT ISN'T OVER UNTIL I'M AT THE GATE WITH THE ENGS SHUT DOWN! YOU MUST CONTINUE TO ANTICIPATE AND BE READY TO REACT AT ANY POINT UNTIL THAT TIME. WHILE I WAS UNLUCKY TO THE EXTENT THAT JUST ABOUT 2 INCHES LESS TIP WOULD HAVE LEFT EVERYTHING IN THE CLEAR, I KNOW I WAS EVEN LUCKIER IN THAT 2 INCHES MORE TIP COULD HAVE DONE SOME SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE PLANE. AND WHILE I'M QUITE GLAD THAT I WAS LUCKY ENOUGH TO ONLY DING THE ANTENNAS, THIS IS EXTREMELY EMBARRASSING AND VERY DISQUIETING, AND IT'S GOING TO STAY WITH ME FOR A LONG, LONG TIME.

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.