Event Details


Title:Tail strike on rotation, Boeing 777-200B, N784UA
Micro summary:This Boeing 777-200B experienced a tail strike on rotation.
Event Time:1999-11-05 at 1308 UTC
File Name:1999-11-05-UK.pdf
Publishing Agency:Aircraft Accident Investigation Board (AAIB)
Publishing Country:United Kingdom
Report number:EW/C99/11/1
Pages:3
Site of event:Takeoff, London Heathrow
Departure:London Heathrow Airport, London, England, United Kingdom
Destination:Los Angeles International Airport, Los Angeles, California, USA
Airplane Type(s):Boeing 777-200B
Flight Phase:Takeoff
Registration(s):N784UA
Operator(s):United Airlines
Type of flight:Revenue
Occupants:274
Fatalities:0
Serious Injuries:0
Minor/Non-Injured:274
Other Injuries:0
Executive Summary:The aircraft was scheduled to fly from London Heathrow to Los Angeles. Whilst taxiing for Runway 27 Right (27R) the crew completed the briefing and entered the payload weights into the Flight Management Computer (FMC). During the taxi to the holding point the crew was given a change to the weights and these were entered correctly in the FMC. V speeds were entered in accordance with the company procedures as V1: 154 kt, VR: 161 kt and V2: 167 kt. The aircraft was following a Gulf Air aircraft which was cleared to line up and was passed a surface wind of 180°/15 kt with infrequent gusts of 28 kt.

Following the departure of one aircraft ahead the Boeing 777 was cleared for take off. With checks completed the commander lined up the aircraft and with the first officer handling the controls a rolling take off was commenced. Left bank control input and right rudder were required to maintain the runway centreline and some crosswind yaw was experienced but it was not considered to be significant. Acceleration was normal and approaching V1 of 154 kt there was an 8 to 10 kt reduction in airspeed which steadily restored to its previous value, and rotation was initiated at 161 kt. All three crew members considered that the rate and angle of rotation was normal, and the aircraft was accelerated towards V2 of 167 kt. The crew then received an Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System (EICAS) message that the aircraft had suffered a tail strike.

The aircraft was depressurised in accordance with the emergency checklist and climbed initially to FL 90 and then held at Daventry at FL 70 where 130,000 lb of fuel was jettisoned to reduce weight for landing at Heathrow. The emergency checklist was completed and the aircraft was given radar vectors for Runway 27L at Heathrow where an uneventful landing was carried out.
Learning Keywords:Operations - Center of Gravity/MAC
Systems - Automation Design
Systems - Flight Controls - Spoilers - Slats - Flaps
Consequence - Damage - Airframe or fuselage
Close match:Tail strike during take-off, Boeing 747-412 9V-SMT, flight SQ286, Auckland International Airport 12 March 2003
Tailstrike on takeoff, Serious incident occurring on November 29, 2002 at Dortmund Airport involving a Boeing 737-800
Uncommanded rotation, Incident involving aircraft LN-RPL at Gothenburg/Landvetter Airport, O county, Sweden, on 7 December 2003
Loading error, Airbus A340-642, G-VSHY
Uncommanded pitch-up, Airbus A320-214, G-OOAR
Uncommanded pitch-up, Fokker F27-600 Friendship, G-CHNL
Loss of Pitch Control During Takeoff, Air Midwest Flight 5481, Raytheon (Beechcraft) 1900D, N233YV, Charlotte, North Carolina, January 8, 2003
Stall on takeoff, Bombardier CL-600-2B16 (CL-604), C-FTBZ , Mid-Continent Airport, Wichita, Kansas, October 10, 2000
Uncontrolled Impact With Terrain, Fine Airlines Flight 101, Douglas DC-8-61, N27UA, Miami, Florida, August 7, 1997
Loss of control on takeoff, United Airlines Flight 2885, N8053U, McDonnell Douglas DC-8-54F, Detroit, Michigan, January 11, 1983
Weight and Balance complications, McDonnell Douglas MD-83, March 7, 2000
Tail strike on takeoff, Boeing 747-128, December 28, 2001
Tail strike on landing from FMS error, McDonnell Douglas MD-11, November 11, 1998
Runway overrun, Airbus A320, Detroit, March 17, 2001
Runway overrun Onur Air, Runway overrun after rejected take-off of the Onur Air MD-88, registration TC-ONP, at Groningen Airport Eelde on 17 June 2003

 




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