Narrative:

I was pilot flying; first officer; on an IFR flight that departed XA45 local and landed XD15 local. Normal flight and in range of hnl I made the normal briefing. I planned to use runway 04R with a visual approach backed up by the ILS. Wind was 050/9; clear. I briefed for vref +8 which is normal for this condition. I also briefed autobrakes #2 which is also standard. Approach was stabilized; within parameters and touchdown occurred within the touchdown zone; in the center of the runway; with no lateral motion. It was a 'normal' landing. Rollout was uneventful; turning off at the end of the runway. On the taxiway; the flight attendants notified us that they thought we had struck the tail of the aircraft upon landing; visual inspection confirmed this. The B767-300 series aircraft have an extending tail skid that actuates with the landing gear. I contacted the runway with this tail skid; and in fact contacted the tip of a lavatory drain on the runway as well. I feel that I have adequate experience in this aircraft to recognize and prevent a tail strike; under normal conditions. The captain did not do or say anything during the time of landing out of the ordinary; and neither of us had initially detected anything out of the ordinary happening. My analysis is that I succumbed to chronic fatigue. The flight required us to arrive for work at XZ20 am local; and fly all night for a landing just prior to daybreak. In reviewing the FAA aim 8-1-1-e-3; I feel the description was very correct for me. I had a full night's sleep the night prior; 9+ hours; and exercised moderately then rested the day preceding the flight. I then took a nap for about 3 hours that evening and woke up around XR00 local; but could not sleep any more after that. The current discussions relating to pilot fatigue are valid in this case; I felt that while this was an easy uneventful flight; it was the timing of this trip and my apparent lack of adequate rest that caused me fatigue. In my case; I will completely re-evaluate my rest and sleep cycle. I did not realize at any time during the flight that I had chronic fatigue; in fact I felt 'fine'. Only after later objective analysis of my actions did it become apparent that I was not operating at 100% capability. The effects of chronic fatigue and their onset now seem more recognizable to me; similar to the effect of hypoxia. I believe this is a prevalent issue especially for flights that operate primarily; or in our case; entirely at night.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B767-300 First Officer experiences a tail strike during landing at HNL after all night flight from the mainland. The incident was undetected by the crew until informed by a Cabin Attendant.

Narrative: I was pilot flying; First Officer; on an IFR flight that departed XA45 local and landed XD15 local. Normal flight and in range of HNL I made the normal briefing. I planned to use RWY 04R with a visual approach backed up by the ILS. wind was 050/9; clear. I briefed for Vref +8 which is normal for this condition. I also briefed autobrakes #2 which is also standard. Approach was stabilized; within parameters and touchdown occurred within the touchdown zone; in the center of the runway; with no lateral motion. It was a 'normal' landing. Rollout was uneventful; turning off at the end of the runway. On the taxiway; the flight attendants notified us that they thought we had struck the tail of the aircraft upon landing; visual inspection confirmed this. The B767-300 series aircraft have an extending tail skid that actuates with the landing gear. I contacted the runway with this tail skid; and in fact contacted the tip of a lavatory drain on the runway as well. I feel that I have adequate experience in this aircraft to recognize and prevent a tail strike; under normal conditions. The captain did not do or say anything during the time of landing out of the ordinary; and neither of us had initially detected anything out of the ordinary happening. My analysis is that I succumbed to chronic fatigue. The flight required us to arrive for work at XZ20 AM local; and fly all night for a landing just prior to daybreak. In reviewing the FAA AIM 8-1-1-e-3; I feel the description was very correct for me. I had a full night's sleep the night prior; 9+ hours; and exercised moderately then rested the day preceding the flight. I then took a nap for about 3 hours that evening and woke up around XR00 local; but could not sleep any more after that. The current discussions relating to pilot fatigue are valid in this case; I felt that while this was an easy uneventful flight; it was the timing of this trip and my apparent lack of adequate rest that caused me fatigue. In my case; I will completely re-evaluate my rest and sleep cycle. I did not realize at any time during the flight that I had chronic fatigue; in fact I felt 'fine'. Only after later objective analysis of my actions did it become apparent that I was not operating at 100% capability. The effects of chronic fatigue and their onset now seem more recognizable to me; similar to the effect of hypoxia. I believe this is a prevalent issue especially for flights that operate primarily; or in our case; entirely at night.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.