Originally Posted by
alf5071h
Icelanta, # 11, - flying damaged aircraft.
Hindsight - your view of the damaged aircraft, outside the aircraft, several photos to interpret, many times.
The crew's view, instruments, feel, vibration, perhaps without anything obvious; their understanding at that time, and their decision.
'All decisions are correct at the time'; only after time are they judged as suitable or not so.
Tin Hat On:
Some time ago, I was a pax in a wee Boeing that did a takeoff on a domestic leg. Beside me snoring, was another pilot, we were on our way to do an air law exam for the company we had joined.
Looking across sleeping beauty out the window, was impressed by the snatch flare [I'm a dunce, F2 corrected me... read: "Rotate"], enough that before we hit the skid, it looked inevitable. Was impressive. So, 1 sec later, a wiggle was felt along the length of the tube to where I was sitting, not enough to awake sleeping beauty from his slumber though, he slept until landing. Now most planes have the same procedure once the tail has been tapped, words like, don't pressurise, land ASAP etc. Which was apparently at the planned destination. Yup, we climbed away from a VFR airport to cruise at 28,000' and descend to land at another airport some 300nm distant. Post landing, as we walked off the aircraft, I stopped in front of the nose of the plane to see if the crew were aware of what they did. Yup, that too, two unhappy campers whip down the stairs off the aero bridge and walk briskly to the tail. They walk back somewhat more deflated a minute later. So, crews apparently have different views on the check lists.
A few months later, after another saga, in conversation a comment was made whether the wash up on this tail strike was known by me. Story was, pilot had a friend, FO agreed that the pilot should put the friend in the RHS for the takeoff, and pilot gave effects of controls to the friend in the RHS. I found out about that having arrived at 5AM in the morning, told this at 7AM, and was back at the safety managers office at 8AM confirming the gist of the story. At 815AM I met the DDFO (a nice guy) confirmed that the pilots disciplinary action was a 2 week paid leave. At 816AM I handed over my ID and said "not impressed". So, tail strikes can have many causes, some are a little out of the ordinary. Tin hat off....