# Incident 20100507033119I: Boeing 747-422, Sydney, May 7, 2010

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 7, 2010, 16:36 local time
- Place: Sydney
- Airport: Sydney Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Rotation
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: UALA
- Aircraft: N128UA (not matched to a registry record)
- Reported make and model: BOEING 747-422
- Reported engine: P&W PW4000 SER
- People aboard: 253
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 22,000 total, 7,791 in this make and model, 164 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB DCA10WA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA10WA056) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20100507033119I

## Narrative

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

ON MAY 7, 2010, A UNITED AIRLINES B-747-400 AIRCRAFT DEPARTED SYDNEY AUSTRALIA ON A REGULARLY SCHEDULED PASSENGER FLIGHT.  DURING TAKEOFF ROTATION ON RUNWAY 34L THE AIRCRAFT TAIL CONTACTED THE RUNWAY SURFACE.THE FLIGHT AND CABIN CREW WERE UNAWARE OF THIS RUNWAY CONTACT AND CONDUCTED A NORMAL DEPARTURE.AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL INFORMED THE AIRCRAFT THAT IT APPEARED THE TAIL HAD STRUCK THE RUNWAY.AFTER VERIFYING THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATING NORMALLY, THE CREW DUMPED FUEL AND RETURNED TO SYDNEY AIRPORT FOR A NORMAL LANDING.MINOR SCRAPE AND CRUSH DAMAGE IN THE LOWER TAIL SECTION WAS DETECTED ON THE POST FLIGHT MAINTENANCE INSPECTION.

## 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 DCA10WA056](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA10WA056), May 7, 2010: Boeing 747-422 (N128UA), Sydney, Australia, incident, minor damage

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.

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