Incident Overview

Date: Saturday 1 October 2016
Aircraft Type: Airbus A330-302
Owner/operator: China Airlines
Registration Number: B-18307
Location: Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport (TPE) – ÿ Taiwan
Phase of Flight: Landing
Status: Substantial, repaired
Casualties: Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 137
Component Affected: Aircraft Control System (specifically, Autothrust, Reverse Thrust Lever, and Side Stick)Aircraft Control System (specifically, Autothrust, Reverse Thrust Lever, and Side Stick)
Investigating Agency: ASCASC
Category: Accident
On March 17, 2023, a Chinese Airlines Airbus A330-302 experienced a tail strike incident during landing at Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The aircraft, en route from Manila Airport, Philippines, was cleared for a SIGANG 1B RNAV STAR2 arrival. During descent, the captain initiated manual flight control, including engagement of autothrust, and subsequently, the instructor pilot took over control. The initial officer, focused on initial operating experience, suggested a nose-holding maneuver, leading to a go-around. The instructor pilot pushed the sidestick to take over, unaware of the thrust reverser selection. The ground spoilers were released, and the automatic brake were deactivated, resulting in a nose-up attitude and subsequent touchdown on runway 23. The aircraft subsequently entered a holding at 4100 feet, and the airport changed the active runway to 05R. Due to weather conditions, the airport adjusted the runway, and the aircraft sustained skin damage. Probable causes included the instructor pilot’s training focused on nose-holding, which resulted in insufficient monitoring of reverse thrust levers and the inability to quickly adjust the aircraft’s attitude. Furthermore, the pilot’s actions during the go-around, including the side stick input and the subsequent pitch increase, contributed to the incident.On March 17, 2023, a Chinese Airlines Airbus A330-302 experienced a tail strike incident during landing at Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The aircraft, en route from Manila Airport, Philippines, was cleared for a SIGANG 1B RNAV STAR2 arrival. During descent, the captain initiated manual flight control, including engagement of autothrust, and subsequently, the instructor pilot took over control. The initial officer, focused on initial operating experience, suggested a nose-holding maneuver, leading to a go-around. The instructor pilot pushed the sidestick to take over, unaware of the thrust reverser selection. The ground spoilers were released, and the automatic brake were deactivated, resulting in a nose-up attitude and subsequent touchdown on runway 23. The aircraft subsequently entered a holding at 4100 feet, and the airport changed the active runway to 05R. Due to weather conditions, the airport adjusted the runway, and the aircraft sustained skin damage. Probable causes included the instructor pilot’s training focused on nose-holding, which resulted in insufficient monitoring of reverse thrust levers and the inability to quickly adjust the aircraft’s attitude. Furthermore, the pilot’s actions during the go-around, including the side stick input and the subsequent pitch increase, contributed to the incident.

Description

China Airlines flight CI704, an Airbus A330-302, was damaged in a tail strike occurrence during landing at Taipei-Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The aircraft departed Manila Airport, Philippines at 09:33 UTC (17:33 LT). On board were 124 passengers and 13 crew members. The first officer was undergoing initial operating experience. He was Pilot Flying while the instructor captain was Pilot Monitoring. The en route part of the flight was uneventful. During descent towards Taipei, the flight was cleared for a SIGANG 1B RNAV STAR2 arrival. During the approach the captain suggested the first officer to use maximum thrust reverser during landing. At an altitude of 779 feet the first officer disengaged the auto pilot and continued to fly manually, with autothrust engaged. At 11:28 UTC (19:28 LT) the aircraft touched down on runway 23 at Taoyuan International Airport. The first officer selected thrust reversers while the aircraft was still in a 3.9ønose up attitude. The instructor pilot was apparently unhappy with the aircraft attitude and decided a go around was necessary. He stated “i have control”, and pressed the sidestick priority pushbutton to take over control. He was unaware at that moment that the thrust reversers had been selected. He pushed the TOGA button, after which the ground spoilers were stowed and the automatic brake were released. Also, the thrust reversers returned to the stowed and locked position. The aircraft reached a nose up attitude of 14.4ø and the tail struck the runway. The aircraft then became airborne. Due to changing weather circumstances the airport changed the active runway to 05R. Meanwhile the flight had entered a holding at 4100 feet. The flight was cleared for an approach to runway 05R and at 19:44 LT the flight crew declared an emergency (PAN PAN PAN). At 19:59 the aircraft landed on runway 05R. After the aircraft landed the flight operation department of Taoyuan Airport carried out a runway inspection of runway 23, finding strike marks and aircraft debris. It was then decided to close the runway. The belly structure of the aircraft suffered skin damage. Findings related to probable causes: 1. The attention allocation and situational awareness of the Instructor Pilot were probably affected by the training Captain’s nose-holding tendency after touchdown addressed in the training record, so that he focused too much on the aircraft’s attitude but neglected to monitor critical information during landing as a pilot monitoring should do. For this reason, the Instructor Pilot was neither aware of the “REV” indication on the Engine/Warning Display page nor the position of reverse thrust levers, thus as a result neither held the status of thrust reverser in hand nor used it to make decision on whether to continue or reject the landing while taking over the flight control. 2. In order to get the aircraft airborne promptly, the Instructor Pilot pulled the side stick full back after taking over the flight control and held that position until the aircraft started to rotate. In the mean time, forward thrust was unable to increase at once since thrust reversers were not in stowed and locked position yet, and the air speed continued to drop while deceleration devices kept functioning. Subsequently under the combination effects of deceleration devices stopped functioning, engine power sharply increased, and the pitch trim position was higher than normal setting, the Instructor Pilot’s full back side stick input caused the aircraft to pitch up rapidly. Though the Instructor Pilot had released the side stick input accordingly, however it didn’t overcome the dramatic pitch up tendency. The excessive rotation rate and high pitch during lift-off then led to the loss of tail section clearance, the tail strike, and the damage to the aircraft.

Primary Cause

Instructor pilot’s training and actions during the go-around, specifically the failure to monitor reverse thrust levers and the subsequent stick input, caused the aircraft to pitch up rapidly.Instructor pilot’s training and actions during the go-around, specifically the failure to monitor reverse thrust levers and the subsequent stick input, caused the aircraft to pitch up rapidly.

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