# NTSB DCA17LA145: Airbus A321, N315DN, Atlanta, GA, June 23, 2017 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: June 23, 2017, 13:38 local (17:38 UTC) - Place: Atlanta, GA - Coordinates: 33.649444, -84.415275 (estimated) - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=33.6494&lon=-84.4153&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Landing](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/550) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091) - Highest injury: No injuries - Injuries: 199 uninjured - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Major Investigations Division - NTSB case key (mKey): 95431 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA17LA145 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/95431/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=95431 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA17LA145 ## Probable cause The first officer's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and the flight crew’s improper bounced landing recovery procedures. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Use of equip/info: aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040): Personnel issues › Task performance · Copilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Airbus A321-213, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md?model=3940028), [All aircraft, 9,295 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040/cases.md) - [Action: incorrect action sequence](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041020): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Flight crew (probable cause); cases with it: [Airbus A321-213, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041020/cases.md?model=3940028), [All aircraft, 77 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041020/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Abnormal runway contact](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/090); cases with it: [Airbus A321-213, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/090/sequence.md?model=3940028), [All aircraft, 1,506 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/090/sequence.md) - [Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091) (defining event); cases with it: [Airbus A321-213, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091/sequence.md?model=3940028), [All aircraft, 124 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091/sequence.md) ## Analysis The first officer was on her third day of initial operating experience training and was the pilot flying for the flight; the captain, a check airman, was the pilot monitoring. The first officer reported that this was her fourth landing in an A320-series airplane and her first landing in an A321 model. According to the captain and first officer, the flight was cleared for the visual approach, the approach was stable, and wind was out of the southwest at 12 kts with gusts up to 20 kts. The first officer recalled that the captain instructed her to "pull back pull back" before touchdown. Both pilots reported that the landing was “firm.” The first officer stated that after landing, the captain provided feedback that she flared a little low (near 20 ft above ground level [agl] instead of 30 ft agl) and did not provide enough pitch back on the side stick. Both crewmembers reported that the first officer was late to flare on previous landings. A company pilot who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat reported the captain was providing instruction to the first officer during the flight about the nuances of the A321. He stated that the descent and arrival were uneventful up until the flare and that the first officer “never really performed any type of flare maneuver even as the captain repeatedly called for the F/O to perform one." Subsequent preflight inspection of the airplane by the next flight crew revealed an area of abrasion damage to the aft fuselage about 13 ft long by 2 ft wide affecting two skin panels. The fuselage skin was abraded through in several areas with damage to the underlying stringers and frames. Several frames, stringers, and shear clips were also bent and/or fractured. ## Factual narrative On June 23, 2017, about 1338 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 800, an Airbus A321-211, N315DN, experienced a tail strike during landing on runway 26R at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. There were no injuries to the 199 passengers and crew onboard, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, to ATL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the landing. Review of flight data recorder data showed that the airplane descended below 2,000 ft agl at 1335:55; the autopilot was not engaged, and the autothrottle was engaged. At 1337:58, the airplane's pitch began increasing from 2° airplane nose up. At 1338:03, the flare law mode activated. At 1338:04.2, the cockpit voice recorder recorded the automated alert "TWENTY" as the airplane passed through 20 ft agl. The captain instructed the first officer to bring the nose up three times between this alert and runway contact. At 1338:06, the autothrottle disengaged. At 1338:07, both main landing gear weight on wheels (WOW) switches transitioned from air to ground. At that time, the airspeed was about 130 kts, the pitch was about 6.2° airplane nose up, the wings were level, and the airplane experienced its greatest vertical acceleration of 1.89 g. About 1 second later, the spoilers deployed, and the main landing gear WOW switches transitioned to air. The cockpit voice recorder recorded an automated alert of "PITCH PITCH" at 1338:08.6, followed by the captain instructing the first officer to lower the nose. At 1338:09, the main landing gear WOW switches transitioned back to ground and stayed in that state. About the time of the second WOW ground indication, the maximum pitch of 9.7° airplane nose up and a vertical acceleration of 1.65 g were recorded. The cockpit voice recorder recorded an automated alert of "DUAL INPUT" at 1338:10. The flight data recorder showed longitudinal and lateral control stick inputs on the captain's stick for about 3 seconds beginning about 1338:07.5. The nose landing gear WOW status transitioned to ground at 1338:12, and the airplane decelerated using brakes, spoilers, and thrust reversers. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N315DN](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N315DN), registered now, S/N 7436, built 2016 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: AIRBUS A321 (211) - Registry model: [Airbus A321-213](https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-a321-213) (registry code 3940028) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [CFM International CFM56-5B2 series](https://openairdocs.org/engine/cfm-international-cfm56-5b2-series) (registry code 13003, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane - Serial number: 7436 - Year built: 2016 - Airframe hours: 1458.25 - Engines: CFM INTL CFM56-5B3/3 turbo fan; CFM INTL CFM56-5B3/3 32000 lbs thrust turbo fan - Damage: Substantial damage - Flight: Part 121 - Operator: Delta Air Lines, Inc. - Registered owner: Wells Fargo Bank Northwest Na Trustee - Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport - Last inspection: Continuous airworthiness, June 22, 2017 - Departed: BOS, Boston, MA - Destination: ATL, Atlanta, GA - Flight plan: IFR - Airport: ATL, Hartsfield - Jackson Atlanta I, runway 26R, 9,000 × 150 ft, concrete - Equipment: Angle of attack indicator, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Stall warning system, Data recorder, Auto-pilot, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Satellite tracking device, Onboard weather ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 62; injuries: none; flight engineer, airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, with waivers/limitations; last flight review April 23, 2017; seat: left; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 11,983 total, 5,206 in this make and model, 1,795 as pilot in command, 184 in the last 90 days, 2 in the last 24 hours - Co-pilot; age 29; injuries: none; airline transport, flight instructor, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, without waivers/limitations; last flight review June 17, 2017; seat: right; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 5,564 total, 12 in this make and model, 0 as pilot in command, 98 in the last 90 days, 5 in the last 24 hours ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 190° at 19 knots, gusting 24 - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Lowest ceiling: 25,000 ft broken - Temperature: 84 °F, dew point 70 °F - Altimeter: 29.99 inHg - Observed at: KATL, 2 nm away ## Docket (18 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 13, 2021, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=95431. 180 MB in all. - Weather study (item 1, PDF, 8 pages, 710 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=5419241&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WX_DCA17FA145_Study-Rel.pdf - Attachment 1 to the weather study (item 2, PDF, 15 pages, 93 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=5419324&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=WX_DCA17FA145_Attachment_1-Rel.pdf - Flight data recorder - specialist's factual report (item 3, PDF, 10 pages, 2.3 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=6716227&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=factual-Rel.pdf - Flight data recorder - specialist's factual report attachment 1 - tabular data (item 4, CSV, 139 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=6723875&FileExtension=csv&FileName=accident%20flight%20for%20dms-Rel.csv - Operational factors group chairman factual report (item 5, PDF, 40 pages, 2.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7588330&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=DCA17LA145%20-%20OPS%20Factual%20Report-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 1 - flight crew interview summaries and written summaries (item 6, PDF, 14 pages, 189 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581873&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%201%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Interview%20Summaries%20and%20Written%20Statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 2 - jumpseat pilot written statement (item 7, PDF, 2 pages, 81 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581780&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%202%20-%20Jumpseat%20Pilot%20Written%20Statement_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - ATTACHMENT3 - flight crew training and recent flight records (item 8, PDF, 23 pages, 509 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581496&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%203%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Training%20and%20Recent%20Flight%20Records_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 4 - operations manual - limitation (item 9, PDF, 4 pages, 93 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581505&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%204%20-%20Operations%20Manual%20-%20Limitations-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 5 - operations manual - A321 differences (item 10, PDF, 6 pages, 246 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7582243&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%205%20-%20Operations%20Manual%20-%20A321%20Differences-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 6 - A320 topics of consideration - A321 differences (item 11, PDF, 4 pages, 818 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581583&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%206%20-%20A320%20Topics%20of%20Consideration%20-%20A321%20Differences-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 7 - amplified checklist (item 12, PDF, 9 pages, 169 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581592&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%207%20-%20Amplified%20Checklist-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 8 - delta air lines operating experience guide (item 13, PDF, 10 pages, 568 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7583112&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%208%20-%20Delta%20Air%20Lines%20Operating%20Experience%20Guide-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 9 - approach briefing (item 14, PDF, 4 pages, 212 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7582270&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%209%20-%20Approach%20Briefing-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 10 - flight crew training manual - flare and touchdown (item 15, PDF, 8 pages, 265 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581601&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%2010%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Training%20Manual%20-%20Flare%20and%20Touchdown-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 11 - Airbus material - avoiding tail strike (item 16, PDF, 27 pages, 1.6 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7581917&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%2011%20-%20Airbus%20Material%20-%20Avoiding%20Tail%20Strike-Rel.pdf - Operational factors group - attachment 12 - operational factors group party form (item 17, PDF, 16 pages, 310 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=7582759&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Operational%20Factors%20Group%20-%20Attachment%2012%20-%20Party%20Forms_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 18, PDF, 9 pages, 30.1 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=9925680&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=DCA17LA145%206120%20Delta_Redacted-Rel.pdf From the NTSB's public API. 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