Tailstrike YSSY today??

[TBM-Legend]

Heard United B747-400 had a possible tailstrike at SYD today. Any updates?

[ozangel]

There's a story on news.com.au that suggests a tail strike - tight lipped spokesperson gives little away saying all safe and returned for maintenance checks 2hours after departure.

Story continues, referring to the EK tailstrike - considerably failing to express the gravity of 'that' situation, let alone mention just how close that lot came to a visit to the coroner. (all the same - irrelevant until some facts are known anyway).

Hopefully this (if true) wasn't as much of a dangerous situation.

[Qantas 787]

Some 4 hours later it is starting to make the news - it was a tailstrike. If it were a 747 with red and white, the news crews would be out there in a flash and a helicopter would have been capturing its landing :rolleyes:

SYDNEY - A UNITED Airlines flight bound for San Francisco was forced to turn back to Sydney within two hours of departure on Friday after the jumbo jet reportedly clipped its tail during takeoff.

A United spokeswoman confirmed that the Boeing B747-400 had returned to Sydney for maintenance checks but would not confirm the media reports about the tail incident.

'I can confirm that UA870 departed from Sydney at 2.45 pm for San Francisco today and has returned to Sydney Airport for maintenance checks,' she told AFP. 'It landed without incident at 4.20 pm.'

[bdflight]

Watched a plane circle as it was dumping fuel for a good 20-30mins today, just off the eastern suburbs beaches. Thought it looked like a 74. Now i know why. No other updates on what caused the tail strike?

[another superlame]

It was a tail strike but not huge amounts of damage. The APU access doors copped the majority. It is parked over on the GA apron in full view of all those who want a look.

[Sunstar320]

There are photos of the rotation on the yssy forum.

[training wheels]

Here's the link if anyone else is looking for the pics.

unusual contrails over bondi looking from City - Sydney Airport Message Board (http://www.yssyforum.net/board/showthread.php?t=5355)

No other updates on what caused the tail strike?

Aren't they usually caused by rotating too quickly?

[Best Rate]

.....knew they should've used F20 :8

[Mstr Caution]

Aren't they usually caused by rotating too quickly?

Or amongst other possibilities, rotating to too high a pitch angle.

Might need to wait for the ATSB report for this one.

[Avid Aviator]

Or rotating too early/slow...
Yep, need to know more info before we'll know why.

[evilc]

Difficult to tell from the angle of the photos on the other thread, but with the QF domestic terminal in view they are obviously approaching the dearture end of the runway fairly quickly.

The strike may (and I repeat, may) have been a result of the final realisation that the current speed v's the remaining runway were not compatible. The Boeing procedure in such a case is to get that puppy airborne at all costs (as V1 would be long gone), including a tailstrike if necessary (or inevitable more likely) - exactly as the Emirates crew did in Melbourne last year.

China Airlines had a similar event in Anchorage just a few weeks back. Entereded the landing weight as the TOW and started to run out of runway very quickly during the subsequent takeoff. Got it airborne but suffered a tailstrike. End result is a 744 with major rear pressure bulkhead damage and a crew who were sacked.

[Capt Kremin]

There is plenty of runway left. They are rotating just past the hump in the 34L; which is where West coast bound 744's usually lift off.

Tailstriking a 744 is not easy to do. It'll be one of four things;

1. Environmental Factors
2. Incorrect v-speeds
3. Incorrect flap setting.
4. Incorrect rotation technique.

Doubtless the investigation will provide the answer. Looking at the photos though I am not sure what flap setting they were using. QF use flap 20 and that is more than enough for 34L. It looks more like flap 10 to me, but it's difficult to tell. Flap 10 is fine as well provided correct V speeds are used.

[Short_Circuit]

My observation is that stab looks excessively trimmed A/C nose up.

[jtr]

Hard to tell with any accuracy but looks like Fl10 and I would have thought Fl20 would be more likely at that end of the weight scale.

[B-HKD]

jtr

Hard to tell with any accuracy but looks like Fl10 and I would have thought Fl20 would be more likely at that end of the weight scale.

United SOP calls for F10 on the 744 unless performance requires F20. They get all their takeoff data via ACARS from the dispatch computers.

If you check out some United 744 shots at SYD on airliners.net for example, you will see many where F20 was indeed used.

[missy]

Difficult to tell from the angle of the photos on the other thread, but with the QF domestic terminal in view they are obviously approaching the dearture end of the runway fairly quickly.


As I understand it, the tail strike was actually south of the runway intersection. and, contrary to other commens on the Sydney Airport Message Board, the tail strike was observed from the Tower and also reported by the Etihad pilot.

[evilc]

Thanks Missy. That settles the "angle of the photo" issue. Plenty of runway left by the sounds of it.

[jtr]

United SOP calls for F10 on the 744 unless performance requires F20. They get all their takeoff data via ACARS from the dispatch computers.

If you check out some United 744 shots at SYD on airliners.net for example, you will see many where F20 was indeed used.

Thanks for the info Delta, thats kind of what I was pitching at. I thought they were going to the states, thus would be performance limited thus would expect to see Fl 20 for t/o not 10. i.e. maybe it was mis-set.