Created Thursday, Feb 24th 2022 21:34Z, last updated Thursday, Feb 24th 2022 21:34Z
A United Boeing 737-900, registration N75436 performing flight
UA-401 from Reno,NV to Denver,CO (USA), landed on Denver's runway 16R at 15:55L (21:55Z) but struck its tail onto the runway surface. The aircraft continued landing, rolled out without further incident and taxied to the apron.
A passenger reported the aircraft slammed into the runway twice, the pilots didn't make any announcements though.
A post flight inspection detected damage to the tail, the tail strike was then reported to tower.
The occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Denver about 24 hours after landing.
On Feb 24th 2022 the NTSB released their final report concluding the probable cause of the accident was:
the early initiation of the landing flare that resulted in a high pitch attitude and tailstrike.
The NTSB summarized the sequence of events:
The first officer (FO) was the pilot flying and the captain was the pilot monitoring. During short final, the FO noticed he was about 5 knots fast, and about 50 feet above the runway, started to slowly reduce power and start the landing flare. At touchdown the airplane bounced. The FO was about to advance throttles for a go-around, when the captain took control and continued the landing after a second bounce. During the post flight walk around, the flight crew observed that the lower aft fuselage had sustained damaged due to a tailstrike.
Maintenance examination of the airplane found that the tailskid cartridge was compressed and there was substantial damage to the fuselage skin, frames, stringer clips and shear ties between fuselage station 827 to 907 and deformed stringers 27L and 27R.
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