FlarePath

What happened

NTSB summary, verbatim

On March 7, 2013, at 19:21 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 757-200, registration N698DL, operated by Delta Air Lines as flight 1693 from Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, California (KSNA) to the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia (KATL), experienced a tailstrike while landing on runway 28. The aircraft was substantially damaged, and there were no injuries to the 2 flight crew, 4 flight attendants, or 142 passengers. Weather at the time of the event was reported as winds from 340 degrees at 6 knots, clear skies and 10 miles visibility. According to the flight crew, the preflight, departure and enroute segments of the flight were normal. The approach was flown with a Vref speed of 129 knots and 25 degrees of flap. Upon landing, the first officer called "speedbrakes not activated" and manually deployed the speedbrakes. The captain reported he felt the airplane "float" and attempted to maintain landing attitude. FDR data indicated that the airplane made an initial touchdown, followed by a brief gear squat switch deactivation, consistent with a slight bounce or light touchdown; the speedbrakes were then manually deployed. Airspeed decayed to approximately 115 knots and pitch attitude increased to about 11 degrees. The Delta 757/767 Flight Crew Training Manual specifies that contact with the runway is possible with pitch attitude greater than 10.5 degrees, with flaps 25 and airspeed of 10 knots below Vref. The airplane rolled out and taxied to the gate uneventfully. While preparing the aircraft for the next flight the flight crew was informed by maintenance personnel of damage to the tail section of the aircraft. Aircraft inspection revealed an 8 foot scrape on the lower aft fuselage, damage to several stringers and buckling of the aft pressurization dome.

Photographs

2the aircraft, and what the investigators found

The aircraft before the accident

Wreckage and site documentation · 1 photographs from the docket

Photographs are NTSB docket attachments — works of the US government, in the public domain. Captions are the Board’s own.

Probable cause

the Board's determination

the pilot's failure to maintain correct airspeed and pitch attitude at touchdown.

Occurrence sequence

1 stepsNTSB coding · CICTT taxonomy

1 · Landing-flare/touchdown
Tailstrike
defining event

Findings

1 causal · 0 contributing

CAUSE
Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › Incorrect action performance — Flight crew

NTSB analysis

from the final report

On March 7, 2013, at 19:21 Eastern Standard Time, a Boeing 757-200, registration N698DL, operated by Delta Air Lines as flight 1693 from Orange County Airport, Santa Ana, California (KSNA) to the Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, Atlanta, Georgia (KATL), experienced a tailstrike while landing on runway 28. The aircraft was substantially damaged, and there were no injuries to the 2 flight crew, 4 flight attendants, or 142 passengers. Weather at the time of the event was reported as winds from 340 degrees at 6 knots, clear skies and 10 miles visibility. According to the flight crew, the preflight, departure and enroute segments of the flight were normal. The approach was flown with a Vref speed of 129 knots and 25 degrees of flap. Upon landing, the first officer called "speedbrakes not activated" and manually deployed the speedbrakes. The captain reported he felt the airplane "float" and attempted to maintain landing attitude. FDR data indicated that the airplane made an initial touchdown, followed by a brief gear squat switch deactivation, consistent with a slight bounce or light touchdown; the speedbrakes were then manually deployed. Airspeed decayed to approximately 115 knots and pitch attitude increased to about 11 degrees. The Delta 757/767 Flight Crew Training Manual specifies that contact with the runway is possible with pitch attitude greater than 10.5 degrees, with flaps 25 and airspeed of 10 knots below Vref. The airplane rolled out and taxied to the gate uneventfully. While preparing the aircraft for the next flight the flight crew was informed by maintenance personnel of damage to the tail section of the aircraft. Aircraft inspection revealed an 8 foot scrape on the lower aft fuselage, damage to several stringers and buckling of the aft pressurization dome.