# Accident 19990602043789A: Boeing 757232, Phoenix, AZ, June 2, 1999

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: June 2, 1999, 20:26 local time
- Place: Phoenix, AZ
- Airport: Phoenix Sky Harbor International
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Level Off Touchdown
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: DALA
- Location: 33.4292° N, 112.0100° W: From the FAA, an estimate near the named town, within about 3 miles
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.4292&lon=-112.0100&mi=10
- Aircraft: N656DL, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N656DL-2018-10-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Boeing 757-232 (registry code 1384965, https://openairdocs.org/model/boeing-757-232) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Pratt & Whitney PW2037 (registry code 52117, https://openairdocs.org/engine/pratt-whitney-pw2037) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 757232
- Reported engine: PWA PW2037
- People aboard: 127
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 17,000 total, 1,445 in this make and model, 185 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB LAX99FA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA207) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19990602043789A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-23) DURING A LANDING AT PHOENIX SKY HARBOR INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, AIRCRAFT N656DL, A DELTA 757-232, SUFFERED A HARD LANDING THAT RESULTED IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE NOSE GEAR ATTACHMENT AREA. THE BULKHEAD AFT OF THE NOSE GEAR WAS BUCKLED AND EXTERIOR BODY SKIN RIVETS WERE PULLED THROUGH. ADDITIONAL PILOT TRAINING WAS PERFORMED BY THE AIRLINE WITH OVERSIGHT PROVIDED BY THE DELTA FAA CMO. (.4)THE AIRPLANE SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL STRUCTURAL DAMAGE TO THE NOSE WHEEL WELL AFT BULKHEAD DURING A HARD LANDING. THE EN ROUTE FLIGHT FROM NEW YORK TO PHOENIX WAS UNEVENTFUL. ABOUT 3 SECONDS BEFORE TOUCHDOWN, AT THE TERMINATION OF A VISUAL APPROACH, THE AIRPLANE'S PITCH ATTITUDE INCREASED TO 5.8 DEGREES. THE CAPTAIN, WHO WAS THE FLYING PILOT, DESCRIBED THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN AS BEING 'FIRM,' AND IN THE RUNWAY'S TOUCHDOWN ZONE, CLOSE TO THE CENTERLINE. THERE WAS A MAINTENANCE CARRY OVER (MCO) DISABLING THE AUTO-SPOILER DEPLOYMENT SYSTEM, SO THE FIRST OFFICER MANUALLY DEPLOYED THE SPOILERS UPON TOUCHDOWN. THE CAPTAIN STATED HE THEN APPLIED FORWARD PRESSURE TO THE CONTROL YOKE. THE CAPTAIN ADDITIONALLY REPORTED THAT HE 'FELT A JOLT' AS THE NOSE                                                         GEAR RETURNED TO THE RUNWAY. AFTER LANDING, THE AIRPLANE TAXIED TO THE GATE. IT WAS SUBSEQUENTLY EXAMINED AND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS OBSERVED TO THE AIRPLANE'S NOSE GEAR WHEEL WELL AFT BULKHEAD, ASSOCIATED UNDERLYING STRUCTURE, AND SKIN PANELS. THE DIGITAL FLIGHT DATA RECORDER WAS READ OUT AND IT REVEALED THAT APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS PRIOR TO TOUCHDOWN, THE PITCH ATTITUDE STARTED INCREASING IN RESPONSE TO NOSE UP ELEVATOR INPUTS TO A MAXIMUM PITCH OF ABOUT 5.8 DEGREES, AND THE AIRPLANE TOUCHED DOWN (TRANSITIONED FROM AIR TO GROUND) THEN BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. THE SECOND AIR TO GROUND TRANSITION OCCURRED 3 SECONDS LATER AND THE ELEVATOR POSITIONS CHANGED OVER THE NEXT SECOND FROM PLUS 6 DEGREES TO MINUS 16 DEGREES AS THE PITCH ATTITUDE RAPIDLY DECREASED TO -0.7 DEGREES AT A RATE OF 4 DEGREES PER SECOND. THERE WAS NO EVIDENCE OF ANY MECHANICAL MALFUNCTIONS DURING THE LANDING EVENT.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB LAX99FA207](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/LAX99FA207), Jun 3, 1999: Boeing 757-232 (N656DL), Phoenix, AZ, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's excessive and rapid forward control column movement in response to a bounced landing, which resulted in the hard touchdown of the nose wheel.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.