A McDonnell Douglas DC-9-51 passenger plane sustained substantial damage in a hard landing accident at Puerto Ordaz Airport (PZO), Venezuela. No serious injuries were reported among the five crew members and 125 passengers. The airplane operated on a domestic service, flight VH342, from Caracas-Sim¢n Bol¡var International Airport (CCS). The captain performed the role of flight instructor for the copilot. A second copilot occupied the jump seat as an observer pilot. Upon takeoff from Caracas at 08:00 hours local time, the nose rose quickly and the tail skid contacted the runway. The flight continued to Puerto Ordaz. On final approach the airspeed decreased to 123,8 knots, which was below the planned landing speed. The airplane descended quickly and touched down very hard, causing both engine mounts to break from the fuselage. CAUSES (translated from Spanish): The accident investigators, taking into account the characteristics of the accident and the evidence collected in the course of the investigation, considered the Human Factor as the reason for this accident, being able to demonstrate convincingly the following causes: – There was a breach of the provisions in Chapter 4 (flight operations policies), paragraph 6 (sterile cabin) of the Operations Manual of the airline due to carrying out activities that were not related to the conduct of the flight. – Lack of situational awareness of the Flight Instructor, the observer pilot and the first officer. – The captain performed other duties, adding to the duties already being accomplished in his role as a flight instructor.