Unstabilised Approach
Although unstable approaches are not common in **** due to our robust SOP’s and NO BLAME policy for go-arounds, throughout the industry an unstabilised approach is the biggest single cause of tail strike. Flight crews should stabilize all approach variables - on centerline, on approach path, on speed, and in the final landing configuration - by the time the airplane descends through 1,000 feet AFE. This is not always possible. Under normal conditions, if the airplane descends through 1,000 feet AFE (IMC), or 500 feet AFE (VMC), with these approach variables not stabilized, a go-around should be considered. Flight recorder data shows that flight crews who continue with an unstabilised condition below 500 feet seldom stabilize the approach. When the airplane arrives in the flare, it often has either excessive or insufficient airspeed. The result is a tendency toward large thrust and pitch corrections in the flare, often culminating in a vigorous pitch change at touchdown resulting in tail strike shortly thereafter. If the pitch is increased rapidly when touchdown occurs as ground spoilers deploy, the spoilers add additional nose up pitch force, reducing pitch authority, which increases the possibility of a tail strike. Conversely, if the airplane is slow, increasing the pitch attitude in the flare does not effectively reduce the sink rate; and in some cases, may increase it. A firm touchdown on the main gear is often preferable to a soft touchdown with the nose rising rapidly. In this case, the momentary addition of thrust may aid in preventing the tail strike. In addition, unstabilised approaches can result in landing long or a runway over run.