20240302004899A

Accident · Substantial damage

FAA accident report · Airbus A321-231 · March 2, 2024

Date
March 2, 2024 · 14:22 local
Airport
St. Lucia Hewanorra Airport
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
YENA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N991JT
Reported as
Airbus A321-231
Reported engine
IAE V2533-A5
People aboard
160
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Airline transport, commercial pilot, flight instructor
Pilot’s flight hours
13,300 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

A newly qualified first officer attempted a landing on an eastern caribbean island with known llws conditions. After a stabilized approach and no reported windshear from ATC, he reduced thrust to idle and commenced flare at approximately 30 feet. A rapid descent rate developed followed by a hard landing and bounce. The captain instructed a go-around and the first officer over-rotated striking the tail. The captain took the controls for a second landing which was uneventful. The crew was informed of the tailstrike by maintenance. The aircraft tail sustained substantial skin and frame damage but the aft pressure bulkhead was not damaged.

As the FAA filed it

A NEWLY QUALIFIED FIRST OFFICER ATTEMPTED A LANDING ON AN EASTERN CARIBBEAN ISLAND WITH KNOWN LLWS CONDITIONS. AFTER A STABILIZED APPROACH AND NO REPORTED WINDSHEAR FROM ATC, HE REDUCED THRUST TO IDLE AND COMMENCED FLARE AT APPROXIMATELY 30 FEET. A RAPID DESCENT RATE DEVELOPED FOLLOWED BY A HARD LANDING AND BOUNCE. THE CAPTAIN INSTRUCTED A GO-AROUND AND THE FIRST OFFICER OVER-ROTATED STRIKING THE TAIL. THE CAPTAIN TOOK THE CONTROLS FOR A SECOND LANDING WHICH WAS UNEVENTFUL. THE CREW WAS INFORMED OF THE TAILSTRIKE BY MAINTENANCE. THE AIRCRAFT TAIL SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL SKIN AND FRAME DAMAGE BUT THE AFT PRESSURE BULKHEAD WAS NOT DAMAGED.