(Tail Strike)

A Tail Strike on an aircraft occurs when the rear end (Tail) of an aircraft touches (strikes) the runway during either the take-off or landing phase.

1) Detrimental to Flight Safety In most cases depending on the severity of the damage, aircraft that has just taken off would have to return for an emergency landing Structural Damage to Airframe. 2) Long Maintenance and Inspection Schedule 3) A longer time is needed to rectify the aircraft to bring the aircraft back to service. 4) Financial Loss for airline Airlines make money with aircraft that are flying and not with them held up in hangars getting rectified

**Causes of Tail Strikes

Pilot Errors are the main cause with 65% of tail Strikes occur at landing and 25% occurs during take offs.

**Landing Phase

1) Unstabilized Approach to the Runway

2)During final approach at a low altitude, too low a speed results in an aircraft having an excessive nose high attitude; compounded by the need for pilots to flare the aircraft for landing, would result in a tail strike due to inadequate separation with the tail and ground.

3) A sudden increase in sink rate of the aircraft just prior to landing would also cause pilots to adopt a nose high attitude to prevent a heavy landing, causing a tail strike.

4) A pilot who flares the aircraft too high during landing.

**Take Off Phase

1) Techniques in Rotation Poor rotation techniques either due to an early rotation at an inappropriate speed and late rotation resulting in sudden rapid corrections both cause a high pitch attitude and subsequent tail strike.

2) Heavy aircraft with poor thrust to weight ratio hampers the performance of aircraft during take off.

3) The proper selection of flaps configuration gives the aircraft added lift for take off and reduces an excessive high pitch attitude

**Prevention

*Flight Crew Training

With the proper training, both in simulators and in training flights, pilots will be able to learn to fly stabilized approaches, be vigilant in using correct flap configuration and selection of proper thrust to weight ratio; this would hence lead to the correct techniques adopted in avoiding excessive high pitch attitude and thus tailstrikes. Adherence of correct landing/ take off techniques.

Sources: https://www.boeing.com/…/articles/qtr_1_07/article_02_2.html

Prepared by: Air.Net Team