Delta A321 at Atlanta on Jun 23rd 2017, tail strike on landing

Last Update: June 9, 2021 / 13:03:30 GMT/Zulu time

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Incident Facts

Date of incident
Jun 23, 2017

Classification
Accident

Cause
Tail strike on landing

Airline
Delta Airlines

Flight number
DL-800

Departure
Boston, United States

Destination
Atlanta, United States

Aircraft Registration
N315DN

Aircraft Type
Airbus A321

ICAO Type Designator
A321

Airport
Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Atlanta

Airport ICAO Code
KATL

A Delta Airlines Airbus A321-200, registration N315DN performing flight DL-800 from Boston,MA to Atlanta,GA (USA), landed on Atlanta's runway 26R at 13:39L (17:39Z) but struck its tail onto the runway surface. The crew continued the landing and rolled out without further incident.

The NTSB rated the occurrence an accident reporting the aircraft sustained substantial damage while landing in Atlanta. The accident is being investigated by the NTSB.

On Jun 9th 2021 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable causes of the accident were:

The first officer's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and the flight crew’s improper bounced landing recovery procedures.

The NTSB analysed:

The first officer was on her third day of initial operating experience training and was the pilot flying for the flight; the captain, a check airman, was the pilot monitoring. The first officer reported that this was her fourth landing in an A320-series airplane and her first landing in an A321 model. According to the captain and first officer, the flight was cleared for the visual approach, the approach was stable, and wind was out of the southwest at 12 kts with gusts up to 20 kts. The first officer recalled that the captain instructed her to "pull back pull back" before touchdown. Both pilots reported that the landing was “firm.” The first officer stated that after landing, the captain provided feedback that she flared a little low (near 20 ft above ground level [agl] instead of 30 ft agl) and did not provide enough pitch back on the side stick. Both crewmembers reported that the first officer was late to flare on previous landings.

A company pilot who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat reported the captain was providing instruction to the first officer during the flight about the nuances of the A321. He stated that the descent and arrival were uneventful up until the flare and that the first officer “never really performed any type of flare maneuver even as the captain repeatedly called for the F/O to perform one."

Subsequent preflight inspection of the airplane by the next flight crew revealed an area of abrasion damage to the aft fuselage about 13 ft long by 2 ft wide affecting two skin panels. The fuselage skin was abraded through in several areas with damage to the underlying stringers and frames. Several frames, stringers, and shear clips were also bent and/or fractured.

Metars:
KATL 231852Z 22016G23KT 10SM SCT040 SCT100 BKN250 31/21 A2996 RMK AO2 PK WND 22029/1757 SLP135 T03060211=
KATL 231752Z 19019G24KT 10SM FEW040 SCT090 BKN250 29/21 A2999 RMK AO2 SLP143 T02940206 10300 20233 58014=
KATL 231652Z 24011G21KT 10SM SCT035 SCT100 BKN150 BKN250 29/21 A3001 RMK AO2 SLP150 T02940211=
KATL 231552Z 21012G19KT 10SM SCT022 SCT100 BKN150 BKN250 27/21 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP156 T02720211=
KATL 231452Z 20010G18KT 10SM SCT017 SCT100 SCT140 BKN250 27/22 A3003 RMK AO2 SLP157 T02670217 53002=
KATL 231352Z 20011KT 10SM FEW014 SCT100 SCT150 BKN250 26/22 A3002 RMK AO2 SLP156 T02560222=