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Flight OperationsIntelligence brief

Tail Strike

Understand how aircraft geometry, pitch rate, gear compression, speed, and control technique combine near takeoff or landing.

Knowledge connections
5FDM parameters
1Occurrence cases
68Evidence records
3Related topics
01 / Overview

Definition

Contact between the runway and the aircraft's aft fuselage or a designated tail-protection device during takeoff or landing.

Why it matters

Damage may affect primary structure and pressurization integrity, while an unrecognized strike can create latent risk.

Research lens

Questions that turn reading into a defensible review

A strong review separates the event description, possible precursors, recorded evidence, approved criteria, and the final safety decision.

01 · Frame

What exactly is being examined?

Contact between the runway and the aircraft's aft fuselage or a designated tail-protection device during takeoff or landing.

02 · Challenge

Which conditions could build the exposure?

Early or rapid rotation; High pitch after bounce or low-speed flare.

03 · Corroborate

What evidence would strengthen the picture?

Pitch and pitch rate near liftoff/touchdown Airspeed, roll, radio altitude, and gear ground states

04 · Bound

What must remain authoritative?

Current approved aircraft data, operator procedures, investigation findings, and the source document’s own scope control any operational conclusion.

What recorded data can support

Timeline, aircraft state, relationships, and recurrence

Radio altitude, Calibrated airspeed, Pitch attitude, Roll angle, Landing gear status can contribute to a synchronized event picture when their mappings, units, sampling, and flight-phase logic are validated.

What it cannot establish alone

Cause, intent, compliance, and technical disposition

An FDM alert or pattern is not by itself a causal finding, judgement of individual performance, regulatory conclusion, or aircraft maintenance and airworthiness determination.

What should corroborate it

Reports, approved criteria, context, and authoritative evidence

Combine the recorded picture with applicable procedures, crew and operational reports, weather or airport information, technical evidence, and the linked official publications and investigation sources.

02 / Visual model

Tail-clearance geometry

Clearance changes with pitch, roll, gear compression, and runway geometry.

01Energy and configuration
02Rotation or flare input
03Gear compression and attitude
04Clearance margin
05Report and inspect if contact is suspected
03 / Operational context

Common causes and precursors

  1. →

    Early or rapid rotation

  2. →

    High pitch after bounce or low-speed flare

  3. →

    Excess pitch with compressed gear, runway slope, or crosswind roll

Operational risks

  1. R1

    Aft-fuselage structural damage

  2. R2

    Pressurization risk

  3. R3

    Rejected takeoff or return to land

04 / Control strategy

Guidance themes

These are cross-source themes for orientation. Apply only the current, approved material for the aircraft and operation.

  • Use aircraft-specific rotation and landing technique
  • Report suspected contact immediately
  • Apply the controlling inspection instructions

Safety actions to consider

01

Train bounce recovery and rotation technique

02

Trend precursors by aircraft variant

03

Brief runway slope and crosswind threats

05 / Flight data monitoring

Parameters that help explain the event

A useful event picture comes from signal relationships—not a single exceedance or a generic threshold.

ft

Radio altitude

Radio altitude provides the low-height reference needed to align approach gates, flare, touchdown, warning, and go-around events.

Open parameter guide ↗kt

Calibrated airspeed

Speed relative to the applicable target and configuration is central to energy management, approach stability, runway performance, and stall margin.

Open parameter guide ↗deg

Pitch attitude

Pitch shows rotation, flare, stall response, and potential tail-clearance context when combined with gear geometry and radio altitude.

Open parameter guide ↗deg

Roll angle

Near the runway, roll angle affects wingtip or engine clearance, crosswind alignment, touchdown sequence, and lateral control margins.

Open parameter guide ↗discrete

Landing gear status

Gear and weight-on-wheels transitions anchor takeoff, touchdown, bounce, go-around, braking, spoiler, and reverser logic.

Open parameter guide ↗

Recommended monitoring questions

Q1

Pitch and pitch rate near liftoff/touchdown

Q2

Airspeed, roll, radio altitude, and gear ground states

06 / Investigated occurrences

Cases that add context

ASIP provides a concise learning index. The investigation authority report remains the definitive source.

2013approach

Asiana Airlines Flight 214 — San Francisco

During a visual approach, the aircraft descended below the desired path and its airspeed decayed. The crew recognized the low-energy condition late, and the go-around was initiated too late to avoid impact with the seawall.

Boeing 777-200ER · San Francisco International Airport, California
07 / Public-source reading

Editor-reviewed starting points

These records include a deeper ASIP editorial review. Continue to the full evidence index below for direct matches and broader manufacturer, regulator, and investigation reading.

01
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration · 2004-04-12

AC 120-82 — Flight Operational Quality Assurance

Active FAA guidance describes one acceptable way to establish a voluntary FOQA programme using de-identified aggregate flight data to identify and reduce operational risk.

Official source
02
UK Civil Aviation Authority · 2013-06-28

CAP 739 — Flight Data Monitoring, Second Edition

CAP 739 presents FDM as the systematic, proactive use of routine digital flight data within a non-punitive, just safety culture.

Official source
Directly matched5

Title or indexed metadata explicitly matches this topic.

Broader reading63

Related collection material for adjacent systems, phases, and defenses.

Publishers represented4

Manufacturer, regulator, investigation, and safety-organization sources.

Coverage lens

Where the reading comes from

Airbus Safety First31
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration31
U.S. National Transportation Safety Board5
Boeing1

68 source records

Official links · no copied report files

68 source records match the current evidence filters.

U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationDirect topic match

SAFO 10001 — Possible effects of Thickened Anti-icing Fluids on Takeoff Rotation for Airplanes withUnpowered Elevator Controls

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for takeoff and weather. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2010SAFO 10001
Open official source
Airbus Safety FirstDirect topic match

A Focus on the Takeoff Rotation

Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for takeoff. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Manufacturer articleDate on source
Open official source
Airbus Safety FirstDirect topic match

A320 Tail strike at Take-Off?

Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for takeoff. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Manufacturer articleDate on source
Open official source
Airbus Safety FirstDirect topic match

Incorrect pitch trim setting at takeoff

Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for takeoff and flight controls and automation. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Manufacturer articleDate on source
Open official source
Airbus Safety FirstDirect topic match

Preventing Tailstrike During Go-around Near the Ground

Official Airbus Safety First material indexed for ground operations. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Manufacturer articleDate on source
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 24006 — Potential for Jammed or Restricted Rudder on Boeing Model 737 Series Airplanes Equipped with Optional Collins Aerospace SVO-730 Rudder Rollout Guidance Actuators (RRGA)

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for flight controls and automation. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2024SAFO 24006
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 23001 — Potential Damage to Nose Landing Gear (NLG) by Improper Towing Procedures of the Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Regional Jet (MHIRJ) (formerly Bombardier) CL-600-2B19, CL-600-2C10 and CL-600-2D24 Airplanes

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and ground operations. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2023SAFO 23001
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 23004 — Boeing Multi Operator Message (MOM); MOM-MOM-23-0179-01B and Erroneous Maximum Takeoff Weight (MTOW) Calculation from Boeing Performance Engineer's Tool (PET) Reporters

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for takeoff and maintenance. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2023SAFO 23004
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 21004 — SAFO 21004, Air Traffic Control (ATC) Notification and Pilot Awareness When Conducting an Instrument Landing System (ILS) Autoland Procedure

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and human factors. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2021SAFO 21004
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 18009 — SAFO 18009, Risk of Runway Number Transposition Leading to a possible "Runway Overrun" During Takeoff at San Francisco International Airport ( SFO )

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and takeoff. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2018SAFO 18009
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 17011 — SAFO 17011, Runway Status Lights ( RWSL )

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and runway safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2017SAFO 17011
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 17012 — SAFO 17012, High Collision Risk During Runway Crossing

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and runway safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2017SAFO 17012
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 16008 — SAFO 16008, Reducing the Risk of Runway Excursions During Takeoff

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and takeoff. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2016SAFO 16008
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 16009 — SAFO 16009, Runway Assessment and Condition Reporting, Effective October 1, 2016

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and runway safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2016SAFO 16009
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 14001 — Cessna Citation CE-500 Type Aircraft Aileron Trim Systems

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for flight controls and automation. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2014SAFO 14001
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 14002 — SAFO 14002, Global Positioning System ( GPS )/Global Navigation Satellite System ( GNSS ) Navigator/Autopilot Compatibility

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for flight controls and automation and navigation and surveillance. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2014SAFO 14002
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 11004 — Runway Incursion Prevention Actions

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and runway safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2011SAFO 11004
Open official source
U.S. Federal Aviation AdministrationBroader collection match

SAFO 11009 — Runway Status Lights ( RWSL ), for posting on the FAA public website for SAFOs

Official U.S. Federal Aviation Administration material indexed for approach and landing and runway safety. Open the publisher source for the complete document, scope, and current status.

Safety Alert for Operators2011SAFO 11009
Open official source
08 / Synthesis

Lessons learned

1Pitch attitude alone does not describe clearance

2A suspected strike requires technical follow-up even if handling appears normal

Continue exploring

Flight Operations

Hard Landing

↗Flight Operations

Unstable Approach

↗Weather

Crosswind Operations

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