Tail strike on touchdown. Aircraft damaged.

Attributes
ACN	123171
Time
Date	198909
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : fll
State Reference	FL
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : pit
Operator	common carrier : air carrier
Make Model Name	Large Transport, Low Wing, 2 Turbojet Eng
Navigation In Use	Other Other
Flight Phase	landing other
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : flight engineer pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 160 flight time total : 11063 flight time type : 160
ASRS Report	123171
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air carrier
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : atp
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

Air carrier flight xx was landing on runway 13 at kell on a visual approach. Runway 9L/27R was closed. WX was good VFR: 20 scattered 10 NM 86 degree 080 degree at 7 KT. A visual approach briefing was conducted and the first officer who was flying the aircraft was briefed by the captain to accomplish his own braking and reversing. Runway length is 6900'. Vref was 119 and the bug was set at 124K. A stabilized approach was established with the aircraft in landing confign on final at about 1400' AGL. The aircraft touched down smoothly about 1500' from the landing threshold on bug speed and got a shallow skip. Copilot held the pitch altitude, then felt aircraft settle onto the runway with a slightly increased sink rate and probably increased nose up pitch to compensate. The second touchdown was also smooth and was about 200' from the first. With the nose gear still off the ground the copilot cocked the reversers and the aircraft pitched up sharply. Copilot lowered the nose. The aircraft was slowed to taxi speed with light braking and reverse and cleared the runway about 1000' from the end. Automatic spoilers had not been selected for this approach. After clearing the runway I asked the captain if he had done anything with the flight controls, since it felt to me like the spoilers had come up while still airborne (in the bounce). He replied that he had not done anything. Upon arrival at the gate we discovered that the tail of the aircraft had scrapped the runway causing minor damage to antenna, drain mast, and skin of the aircraft. The captain advised me 4 days later that he is not sure, but he may have inadvertently partially extended the spoilers while attempting to arm them in the bounce. Note that on the large transport landing spoilers extend upon engine reverse on the ground, even if not armed, to extend on main gear touchdown. I believe that the spoilers were extended in the air and that the tail touched runway runway twice: on the 2ND touchdown and again when engines reversed.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TAIL STRIKE ON TOUCHDOWN. ACFT DAMAGED.

Narrative: ACR FLT XX WAS LNDG ON RWY 13 AT KELL ON A VISUAL APCH. RWY 9L/27R WAS CLOSED. WX WAS GOOD VFR: 20 SCATTERED 10 NM 86 DEG 080 DEG AT 7 KT. A VISUAL APCH BRIEFING WAS CONDUCTED AND THE F/O WHO WAS FLYING THE ACFT WAS BRIEFED BY THE CAPT TO ACCOMPLISH HIS OWN BRAKING AND REVERSING. RWY LENGTH IS 6900'. VREF WAS 119 AND THE BUG WAS SET AT 124K. A STABILIZED APCH WAS ESTABLISHED WITH THE ACFT IN LNDG CONFIGN ON FINAL AT ABOUT 1400' AGL. THE ACFT TOUCHED DOWN SMOOTHLY ABOUT 1500' FROM THE LNDG THRESHOLD ON BUG SPEED AND GOT A SHALLOW SKIP. COPLT HELD THE PITCH ALT, THEN FELT ACFT SETTLE ONTO THE RWY WITH A SLIGHTLY INCREASED SINK RATE AND PROBABLY INCREASED NOSE UP PITCH TO COMPENSATE. THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN WAS ALSO SMOOTH AND WAS ABOUT 200' FROM THE FIRST. WITH THE NOSE GEAR STILL OFF THE GND THE COPLT COCKED THE REVERSERS AND THE ACFT PITCHED UP SHARPLY. COPLT LOWERED THE NOSE. THE ACFT WAS SLOWED TO TAXI SPEED WITH LIGHT BRAKING AND REVERSE AND CLRED THE RWY ABOUT 1000' FROM THE END. AUTO SPOILERS HAD NOT BEEN SELECTED FOR THIS APCH. AFTER CLEARING THE RWY I ASKED THE CAPT IF HE HAD DONE ANYTHING WITH THE FLT CONTROLS, SINCE IT FELT TO ME LIKE THE SPOILERS HAD COME UP WHILE STILL AIRBORNE (IN THE BOUNCE). HE REPLIED THAT HE HAD NOT DONE ANYTHING. UPON ARR AT THE GATE WE DISCOVERED THAT THE TAIL OF THE ACFT HAD SCRAPPED THE RWY CAUSING MINOR DAMAGE TO ANTENNA, DRAIN MAST, AND SKIN OF THE ACFT. THE CAPT ADVISED ME 4 DAYS LATER THAT HE IS NOT SURE, BUT HE MAY HAVE INADVERTENTLY PARTIALLY EXTENDED THE SPOILERS WHILE ATTEMPTING TO ARM THEM IN THE BOUNCE. NOTE THAT ON THE LGT LNDG SPOILERS EXTEND UPON ENGINE REVERSE ON THE GND, EVEN IF NOT ARMED, TO EXTEND ON MAIN GEAR TOUCHDOWN. I BELIEVE THAT THE SPOILERS WERE EXTENDED IN THE AIR AND THAT THE TAIL TOUCHED RWY RWY TWICE: ON THE 2ND TOUCHDOWN AND AGAIN WHEN ENGINES REVERSED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 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.