Narrative:

Prior to top of descent we obtained the ZZZ WX and planned for the rnp 11 via the abc transition. The airport winds at the time of brief and setting of bugs were approximately 130 degrees 15 KTS gusting 22 KTS. We bugged up for a vref +15 additive for the approach and I briefed about flying long bug vref +20 during the visual part of the approach. I planned this because the rooftop winds were a little stronger than surface winds. We commenced the approach and were configured flaps 30 degrees on VNAV/LNAV all the way down final. I had the HUD in pri mode throughout the approach so as to gain advantage of the speed tape giving me a quick visual cue of airspeed changes along with the wind arrow. We experienced light chop on final with airspeed fluctuations of about +/-5 to 7 KTS. We broke out about 1500 ft and had the field in sight. I disconnected the autoplt and autothrottles and continued down the path using VASI and flight director commands as a xchk. I flew long bug vref +20 during the visual part of the approach. The first officer made sink and speed calls throughout the visual portion of the approach. The runway lights were on high intensity and there was light to moderate rain on final. Due to the forward visibility somewhat restr by the rain I did not ask for a change of the intensity of runway lights. I adjusted the HUD combiner intensity to very dim to where just the wind arrow in the upper right corner was visible in a dark part of my visual field. We passed over the threshold on speed and on glidepath. I applied a little back pressure just approaching the threshold (to check it) and felt positive response. As I began my flare the HUD intensity in the combiner went to very bright due to the light sensor being influenced by the runway/VASI lights outside. This caused me to lose visual reference with the runway surface very briefly at the same time we experienced a downdraft. After regaining visual reference with the runway surface; I immediately increased back pressure on yoke and beginning of forward movement of the thrust levers to arrest the descent rate. The feeling of the touchdown in the flight deck was very firm and I could feel the struts compress and then extend. The mains did not leave the ground (bounce) but could feel the struts spring back to some extension. The nosewheel was 'flown' normally and had a soft touchdown. On rollout I heard over the PA circuit the B flight attendant make a comment to the passenger that she didn't know what had happened but would find out. This prompted us to call the flight attendants via interphone and let them know all was ok with the airplane and asked how they were. The B flight attendant stated okay but would talk to us at the gate. At the gate I called operations to tell them we will need maintenance for the hard landing. We completed our shutdown checklist and I went out of the flight deck door to say goodbye to the passenger and check with the a flight attendant. The a flight attendant said she was ok and was fine but mentioned the flight attendants in the back were a little shook up. After the last ZZZ passenger deplaned (all seemed ok and said thank you) I went back to check on the B and C flight attendants. On my way back I saw that the psu panel over seats xxdef had come down on the aisle side and took note. The B flight attendant was standing in the aft galley and I asked if they were ok and I could see she was visibly shaken. I saw that the L2 jump seat she was seated in had a broken hinge and was on the floor. I asked if she was ok and she said yes but had never been so scared before. I comforted her and then asked how the C flight attendant was and she said that her neck hurt and told her that I was going to have her checked out and that I would be back to check on them. I went forward to the front of the aircraft and advised the first officer that we needed the medics to check out the flight attendants. I then went into operations and called maintenance control with 3 write-ups (one for the hard landing; one for the broken jump seat and one for the psu panel). I came back out and the medics had attended to the C flight attendant and the medics stated that she had soreness and some numbness in her neck but felt ok to proceed on the flight. I wanted to be sure that she was ok and I went back to talk with the B and C flight attendants to see how they were and to evaluate their condition from a crew standpoint. She confirmed to me that she had soreness and some numbness and would be ok to perform her functions. We talked about getting a replacement if needed and she said that she would be ok. While I was in the back of the aircraft I asked the remaining passenger if they were all ok and answered any questions. A male passenger stated that his wife had some neck soreness but that she didn't want any medical treatment. After consulting and discussing with one another and based on my observation of the both the B and C flight attendants prior to departure I felt that they could safely perform the duties as flight crew. Maintenance MEL'ed the jump seat; repaired the psu and performed the hard landing inspection. Maintenance paperwork was signed off and the flight proceeded with the remaining segments without further incident.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A B737-400 EXPERIENCED A HARD LANDING. THE PLT TEMPORARILY LOST VISUAL REFERENCE IN A HUD/OUTSIDE LIGHT CONFLICT DURING THE LNDG FLARE.

Narrative: PRIOR TO TOP OF DSCNT WE OBTAINED THE ZZZ WX AND PLANNED FOR THE RNP 11 VIA THE ABC TRANSITION. THE ARPT WINDS AT THE TIME OF BRIEF AND SETTING OF BUGS WERE APPROX 130 DEGS 15 KTS GUSTING 22 KTS. WE BUGGED UP FOR A VREF +15 ADDITIVE FOR THE APCH AND I BRIEFED ABOUT FLYING LONG BUG VREF +20 DURING THE VISUAL PART OF THE APCH. I PLANNED THIS BECAUSE THE ROOFTOP WINDS WERE A LITTLE STRONGER THAN SURFACE WINDS. WE COMMENCED THE APCH AND WERE CONFIGURED FLAPS 30 DEGS ON VNAV/LNAV ALL THE WAY DOWN FINAL. I HAD THE HUD IN PRI MODE THROUGHOUT THE APCH SO AS TO GAIN ADVANTAGE OF THE SPD TAPE GIVING ME A QUICK VISUAL CUE OF AIRSPD CHANGES ALONG WITH THE WIND ARROW. WE EXPERIENCED LIGHT CHOP ON FINAL WITH AIRSPD FLUCTUATIONS OF ABOUT +/-5 TO 7 KTS. WE BROKE OUT ABOUT 1500 FT AND HAD THE FIELD IN SIGHT. I DISCONNECTED THE AUTOPLT AND AUTOTHROTTLES AND CONTINUED DOWN THE PATH USING VASI AND FLT DIRECTOR COMMANDS AS A XCHK. I FLEW LONG BUG VREF +20 DURING THE VISUAL PART OF THE APCH. THE FO MADE SINK AND SPD CALLS THROUGHOUT THE VISUAL PORTION OF THE APCH. THE RWY LIGHTS WERE ON HIGH INTENSITY AND THERE WAS LIGHT TO MODERATE RAIN ON FINAL. DUE TO THE FORWARD VISIBILITY SOMEWHAT RESTR BY THE RAIN I DID NOT ASK FOR A CHANGE OF THE INTENSITY OF RWY LIGHTS. I ADJUSTED THE HUD COMBINER INTENSITY TO VERY DIM TO WHERE JUST THE WIND ARROW IN THE UPPER R CORNER WAS VISIBLE IN A DARK PART OF MY VISUAL FIELD. WE PASSED OVER THE THRESHOLD ON SPD AND ON GLIDEPATH. I APPLIED A LITTLE BACK PRESSURE JUST APCHING THE THRESHOLD (TO CHK IT) AND FELT POSITIVE RESPONSE. AS I BEGAN MY FLARE THE HUD INTENSITY IN THE COMBINER WENT TO VERY BRIGHT DUE TO THE LIGHT SENSOR BEING INFLUENCED BY THE RWY/VASI LIGHTS OUTSIDE. THIS CAUSED ME TO LOSE VISUAL REF WITH THE RWY SURFACE VERY BRIEFLY AT THE SAME TIME WE EXPERIENCED A DOWNDRAFT. AFTER REGAINING VISUAL REF WITH THE RWY SURFACE; I IMMEDIATELY INCREASED BACK PRESSURE ON YOKE AND BEGINNING OF FORWARD MOVEMENT OF THE THRUST LEVERS TO ARREST THE DSCNT RATE. THE FEELING OF THE TOUCHDOWN IN THE FLT DECK WAS VERY FIRM AND I COULD FEEL THE STRUTS COMPRESS AND THEN EXTEND. THE MAINS DID NOT LEAVE THE GND (BOUNCE) BUT COULD FEEL THE STRUTS SPRING BACK TO SOME EXTENSION. THE NOSEWHEEL WAS 'FLOWN' NORMALLY AND HAD A SOFT TOUCHDOWN. ON ROLLOUT I HEARD OVER THE PA CIRCUIT THE B FLT ATTENDANT MAKE A COMMENT TO THE PAX THAT SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED BUT WOULD FIND OUT. THIS PROMPTED US TO CALL THE FLT ATTENDANTS VIA INTERPHONE AND LET THEM KNOW ALL WAS OK WITH THE AIRPLANE AND ASKED HOW THEY WERE. THE B FLT ATTENDANT STATED OKAY BUT WOULD TALK TO US AT THE GATE. AT THE GATE I CALLED OPS TO TELL THEM WE WILL NEED MAINT FOR THE HARD LNDG. WE COMPLETED OUR SHUTDOWN CHKLIST AND I WENT OUT OF THE FLT DECK DOOR TO SAY GOODBYE TO THE PAX AND CHK WITH THE A FLT ATTENDANT. THE A FLT ATTENDANT SAID SHE WAS OK AND WAS FINE BUT MENTIONED THE FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE BACK WERE A LITTLE SHOOK UP. AFTER THE LAST ZZZ PAX DEPLANED (ALL SEEMED OK AND SAID THANK YOU) I WENT BACK TO CHK ON THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS. ON MY WAY BACK I SAW THAT THE PSU PANEL OVER SEATS XXDEF HAD COME DOWN ON THE AISLE SIDE AND TOOK NOTE. THE B FLT ATTENDANT WAS STANDING IN THE AFT GALLEY AND I ASKED IF THEY WERE OK AND I COULD SEE SHE WAS VISIBLY SHAKEN. I SAW THAT THE L2 JUMP SEAT SHE WAS SEATED IN HAD A BROKEN HINGE AND WAS ON THE FLOOR. I ASKED IF SHE WAS OK AND SHE SAID YES BUT HAD NEVER BEEN SO SCARED BEFORE. I COMFORTED HER AND THEN ASKED HOW THE C FLT ATTENDANT WAS AND SHE SAID THAT HER NECK HURT AND TOLD HER THAT I WAS GOING TO HAVE HER CHKED OUT AND THAT I WOULD BE BACK TO CHK ON THEM. I WENT FORWARD TO THE FRONT OF THE ACFT AND ADVISED THE FO THAT WE NEEDED THE MEDICS TO CHK OUT THE FLT ATTENDANTS. I THEN WENT INTO OPS AND CALLED MAINT CTL WITH 3 WRITE-UPS (ONE FOR THE HARD LNDG; ONE FOR THE BROKEN JUMP SEAT AND ONE FOR THE PSU PANEL). I CAME BACK OUT AND THE MEDICS HAD ATTENDED TO THE C FLT ATTENDANT AND THE MEDICS STATED THAT SHE HAD SORENESS AND SOME NUMBNESS IN HER NECK BUT FELT OK TO PROCEED ON THE FLT. I WANTED TO BE SURE THAT SHE WAS OK AND I WENT BACK TO TALK WITH THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS TO SEE HOW THEY WERE AND TO EVALUATE THEIR CONDITION FROM A CREW STANDPOINT. SHE CONFIRMED TO ME THAT SHE HAD SORENESS AND SOME NUMBNESS AND WOULD BE OK TO PERFORM HER FUNCTIONS. WE TALKED ABOUT GETTING A REPLACEMENT IF NEEDED AND SHE SAID THAT SHE WOULD BE OK. WHILE I WAS IN THE BACK OF THE ACFT I ASKED THE REMAINING PAX IF THEY WERE ALL OK AND ANSWERED ANY QUESTIONS. A MALE PAX STATED THAT HIS WIFE HAD SOME NECK SORENESS BUT THAT SHE DIDN'T WANT ANY MEDICAL TREATMENT. AFTER CONSULTING AND DISCUSSING WITH ONE ANOTHER AND BASED ON MY OBSERVATION OF THE BOTH THE B AND C FLT ATTENDANTS PRIOR TO DEP I FELT THAT THEY COULD SAFELY PERFORM THE DUTIES AS FLT CREW. MAINT MEL'ED THE JUMP SEAT; REPAIRED THE PSU AND PERFORMED THE HARD LNDG INSPECTION. MAINT PAPERWORK WAS SIGNED OFF AND THE FLT PROCEEDED WITH THE REMAINING SEGMENTS WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.