Aigle Azur A321 tailstrike
 

this morning (jan 08) an Aigle Azur A321 sustained major damage in a tailstrike at Algiers.

should be AOG for some time...

nothing further yet

Rotate or Flare
 

Take off or landing?

Isn't a tailstrike always on landing (whereas a tailscrape would be on takeoff)?> Sorry - don't mean to be smart, but I always assumed a tailstrike referred to landing?

I had never heard the concept of different words on landing or takeoff.

I would have said: tailstrike or tail skid strike for either.

interesting...always learning something.

here are a couple of other terms that are out there for other things...have you heard of "popeye"?

and "greaseoff"?

ya never know

also the first time I heard a difference in words...

I would assume from my logic that a tailstrike is a short bang while a tailskid is a longer dragging along the runway.

But hey, I don't care the difference, they both lead to big problems :ooh:

Dani

I thought a "tailskid" was the actual piece of the plane designed to skid along...like on a spad. every plane (well, jet) I've flown has a tail skid or bumper for just the situation of dragging on the tail.

if you have ever seen the great movie, "Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo", early on in the training, the tail bumper or skid on the B25 flown by Ted Lawson drags along the ground...its there for a reason...they later named the plane "the ruptured duck" for this maneuver.

hope you get to see the film...except for the mushy parts a real fine aviation movie.

tangently yours!

My company uses 'tail strike' for both t.o. and landing events.

Tail skids are present on some aircraft. 727, 767-300. Many other a/c have a small bump that's designed to be the first point of contact. A300, DC-9.

We've experienced tail strikes after the a/c is airborne. Granted, only a couple of feet in the ground but a long fuselage can hit the ground after the wheels are airborne.

From experience A321's seem more prone to tailstrike on landing :) in case of a badly executed flare.

And or dual input. :=

Picture? Any further news on the sustained damage?

update:
happened on take off, premature rotation it seems --> www.jacdec.de / www.crash-aerien.com
t/o was abandoned and a/c returned to the ramp

damage to sec 17-19, assesment still underway by Airbus