24left

Accident: Canada B773 at Hong Kong on Dec 11th 2018, tail strike on landing

By Simon Hradecky, created Wednesday, Dec 12th 2018 21:37Z, last updated Wednesday, Dec 12th 2018 21:38Z

An Air Canada Boeing 777-300, registration C-FITW performing flight AC-15 (dep Dec 10th) from Toronto,ON (Canada) to Hong Kong (China), performed an ILS approach to runway 07R. After landing at 14:53L (06:53Z), while receiving taxi instructions, the crew reported they had encountered turbulence on landing and recommended a runway check. The controller did not understand, the crew reported they had turbulence on landing, the controller acknowledged. The aircraft taxied to the apron.

A post flight inspection revealed evidence of a tail strike.

The return flight was cancelled, the occurrence aircraft is still on the ground in Hong Kong about 39 hours after landing.

Metars:
VHHH 110800Z 33014KT CAVOK 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110730Z 34013KT 9999 FEW040 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110700Z 33016KT 9999 FEW040 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110630Z 33012KT 9999 FEW040 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110600Z 34011KT 9999 FEW028 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110530Z 33011KT 9999 FEW028 18/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110500Z 33012KT 9999 FEW025 17/10 Q1020 NOSIG=
VHHH 110430Z 34013KT 9999 FEW025 17/10 Q1021 NOSIG=
VHHH 110400Z 34011KT 9999 FEW022 18/10 Q1021 NOSIG=
VHHH 110330Z 34012KT 9999 FEW022 17/11 Q1022 NOSIG=
VHHH 110300Z 34013KT 9999 FEW022 16/11 Q1022 NOSIG=

The blank tail of C-FITW (Photo: Alex Wong):




http://avherald.com/h?article=4c17ab7d&opt=0

24left

I posted this while at HKIA on Dec 11, 18, 5:56 pm HKG time - (6:56 am FT time)

I like that I know my runways.



I took this photo just prior to crossing from the water to the runway.

Time stamp 14:53:30

The Lev

Let me take you to the post I was commenting on. Not sure how what you say would apply to a "recent FO"...

mellon

Pilots like all of us choose what's important to them, clearly this FO wanted to fly bigger planes. Today AC wishes he stayed on smaller planes

24left

UPDATE on Aviation Herald:


"On Dec 13th 2018 the Canadian TSB reported the aircraft sustained a tail strike due to a hard landing causing structural damage requiring major repairs. The occurrence was rated an accident. Hong Kong's Air Accident Investigation Authority is investigating."

Accident: Canada B773 at Hong Kong on Dec 11th 2018, tail strike on landing

mellon

I guess in about 6 months we will find out if it was "pilot error"

yyznomad

CZAMFlyer

At the risk of beating the wind shear theme to death as discussed between this and the Fatigue Regs thread, this is a very interesting photo taken seconds before the tail strike in that I was actually expecting ragged clouds or cats paws associated with convective activity. Rather, the skies and surface of the water look positively benign.

To pre-empt the chorus, I've never debated the presence of wind shear; I just see no signs of it at all. The possibility of mechanical turbulence* from the adjacent hills may be a factor. But it's probably a simple case of crappy pilot training (instinctively ducks).

(hey 24, was I right about seat 02K, or was I off a row or two?)

24left

@CZAMFlyer

I was in 10K on the 777-300.

See my photos from in-flight here

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30519413-post469.html

and here

https://www.flyertalk.com/forum/30519452-post471.html
.

marke190

From this passenger's tweet it sounds like AC15 hit the runway pretty hard!
Did you see any overhead bins open up on touchdown @24left ?

https://twitter.com/carolhochu/status/1072767529502687232
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">I was on this flight! Very unusual pitching and rolling as we approached runway, nothing like I've ever experienced. Landing so hard that overhead bins opened and bags fell out (bruise on my arm to show for it) plus we had a bounce. Pilot came on and said turbulence.</p>&mdash; Carol Hochu (@carolhochu) <a href="https://twitter.com/carolhochu/status/1072767529502687232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

24left

A couple of things

1. I was in mini-J. Bins did not open in my section. I was too busy looking out the window at the bouncing etc to look in the cabin, so no idea if

2. Pilot did not come on and say turbulence. It was the captain who made the announcement and apologized for the rough landing. I flew with him on AC 15 three weeks ago and had met him as he walked the cabin prior to departure on that flight and introduced himself. Perhaps someone can get a copy of the CVR or ATC tapes and get his exact words.

3. No idea where Ms Hochu was sitting and perhaps bins opened in Y.

4. We were still taxiing off the runway and to the gate and people got up to get stuff out of bins. SD had to make multiple announcements to tell everyone that we were still moving (duh) and to sit down. Perhaps people jumped up because they had panicked. I don't know, but it is rare on my AC flights to have crew needing to make multiple announcements for people to sit down.


And to all those who perhaps questioned my initial description of what I felt or saw when I posted from HKIA later in the afternoon on Dec 11, Ms Hochu wrote in her tweet:

"Very unusual pitching and rolling as we approached runway"


Others here fly more than I do and have been flying more years on some routes that I have. However, I've been flying HKG for 4+ years and TPAC for more than 5. I know exactly how we tend to land, take off and the patterns have been consistent, whether HKG, NRT, TPE, and HND (on AC flights).

CZAMFlyer

This may have been directed at me. I haven't seen any queries or challenges to what you felt. Nor were there any queries as to what you saw in terms of the aircraft's movement and whether or not it felt routine.
I am the only person who sought clarification on your experience, and it was regarding your claim to have seen wind shear. The referenced tweet merely describes movement which seemed unfamiliar to the observer...and I'm sure it was.

Do you remember what you heard - in terms of unusual engine spool-up close to touchdown?

24left

No spooling from what I recall and in seat 10K, the engine was at my ear. I have done a couple of go-arounds on AC so I know the spooling sound.
I definitely heard the sound of us hitting the runway, which was like a very loud bang, but also, we really felt the hit.

The pitching and rolling only concerned me as far as looking to see if the wing or engine nacelle scraped the runway.

I recall briefly feeling concerned during the bounces - hitting the runway and rising up in the air again, at one point wondering if we were going to abort the landing. There were also a few seconds where the aircraft did not seem to be under control, that is, not landing and rolling exactly straight onto the runway. It was fleeting.

I would be very interested to hear from anyone who was sitting at the very back, to know what they heard and saw and especially felt.

CZAMFlyer

This would indicate that wind shear likely didn't exist, or if it did, it was close enough to the threshold that the pilots simply decided to continue the landing. Or, they had crappy training and were frozen in surprise. But the accounts of yourself and the tweety passenger indicate that the pitching and rolling lasted long enough that there was adequate time to respond with thrust levers if required. My guess - safe from my armchair two days after the fact - is that the pilots decided they had sufficient airspeed and were already at or near flight idle, so a spool-up response might have exacerbated whatever issue they were battling.

If the nacelle had scraped, you wouldn't have to look to confirm. You'd have entered the realm of a Haligonian hard landing by that point.

24left

Thanks for all of the explanations, armchair seating included. Really interesting.