- Date
- August 2, 1992, 14:34 local (21:34 UTC)
- Place
- Los Angeles, CA
- Injuries
- 149 uninjured
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N803DEMcdonnell Douglas MD-11
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 29, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Safety recommendations
- Yes
- FAA report
- 19920802033819I
- Case key
- 8527
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the incident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot in command's improper use of the aircraft flight controls (elevator) during the landing, which resulted in the aircraft tail contacting the runway surface.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The flight crew was performing a normal landing (manual throttles/auto ground spoiler). They reported that after the main gear had touched down, the nose pitched up 'violently'. Subsequently, the underside of the aircraft tail scraped the runway surface. Dfdr data indicated that after main gear touchdown, the nose was lowered at an excessive rate, followed by large, aft yoke input to arrest the rate of nose sink. The nose gear contacted the runway while the aft yoke input was maintained, and the ground spoilers extended to 60 degrees. The manufacturer stated that with this scenario, a pitch up of the nose would occur.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N803DE
- Reported as
- Mcdonnell Douglas MD-11
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 48474
- Engine
- GE CF6-80C2, 61,500 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Delta Air Lines
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · January 2, 2000
- Departed
- PDX · Portland, OR
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- LAX · Los Angeles Intl, runway 25, 12,091 × 150 ft, concrete
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Unknown
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 20,500 total · 285 in this make and model · 6 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 240° at 14 knots
- Visibility
- 6 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAX, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.