Incident Overview

Description
On 19-5-1999, the aircraft suffered a tail stick on landing on runway 05 at Cambridge Airport. The accident caused general damage to rear underside of fuselage, antennae, drains and access doors; Buckling to rear pressure bulkhead. None of the three crew was injured. According to the following extract from the official AAIB report into the incident: “The aircraft suffered a tail strike on landing from a visual approach to Runway 05 at Cambridge. The weather was good and the surface wind was 090 degrees/5 to 7 knots. The usable landing distance beyond the threshold is 5,735 feet. A major amount of the debris from the tail strike was found between 1,350 and 1,550 feet from the threshold. The commander reported that the approach was stable but when he started to lower the nose after touchdown the pitch attitude increased rapidly. He was unsure whether the aircraft was still on the runway and, as he considered the runway too short to recover from a ‘bounce’, he applied power and went around. It was his opinion that this was the point when the tail strike occurred. The subsequent landing was uneventful”.
Source of Information
https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f08ce5274a1317000317/dft_avsafety_pdf_500426.pdf, http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=11DE, https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/McDonnell-Douglas/MD-11/48600/N526FE-Federal-Express-, http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-md11-48600.htmhttps://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/5422f08ce5274a1317000317/dft_avsafety_pdf_500426.pdf, http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?omni=Home-N-Number&nNumberTxt=11DE, https://www.planespotters.net/airframe/McDonnell-Douglas/MD-11/48600/N526FE-Federal-Express-, http://www.airfleets.net/ficheapp/plane-md11-48600.htmPrimary Cause
Tail strike during landing.Tail strike during landing.Share on: