- Date
- September 23, 2021, 09:44 local (19:44 UTC)
- Place
- Honolulu, HI
- Injuries
- 134 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N208HAAirbus A321-271N
- Defining event
- Landing-flare/touchdown: Tailstrike
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Major Investigations Division
- Parties
- Hawaiian Airlines Senior Manager
- Case key
- 104043
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The captain’s improper landing flare, which resulted in an excessive sink rate and subsequent hard landing.
Findings · 1
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
According to the operator, the captain was the pilot flying, and the first officer was the pilot monitoring for the flight from the Norman Y. Mineta San Jose International Airport (SJC), San Jose, California to the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL), Honolulu, Hawaii. The taxi, takeoff, climb, cruise, and descent phases of the flight were uneventful. The crew was vectored for the ILS approach to runway 4R at HNL. The ILS approach was uneventful with the crew achieving all of Hawaiian Airlines stabilized approach criteria at both the 1000 ft and 500 ft AGL. The approach remained uneventful until the flare was initiated at approximately 25 feet AGL. Winds were reported to be approximately 11 kts with gusting up to 18 kts. At this point the captain reported that he felt the aircraft had an accelerated sink rate. To arrest the sink rate, he initiated a slight increase in pitch angle. He then heard an automated audible pitch alert generated by the aircraft and then felt a firm bounce of the aircraft upon initial touchdown. The crew initiated a go-around and had an uneventful approach and landing on runway 04R. Following the landing the crew completed an uneventful taxi and shutdown at the gate. The tailstrike resulted in abrasion damage over an area of about 14 feet long by 2 feet wide along the aft lower fuselage. There also were several fractures to the internal cargo lining support structure and to at least one frame.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N208HA
- Reported as
- Airbus A321-271N
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 8123
- Built
- 2018
- Airframe hours
- 725,421
- Engines
- IAE PW1133G-JM, 33,110 lbs thrust, turbo fanIAE PW1133G-JM, 33,110 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- Hawaiian Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- Hawaiian Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport; Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- Continuous airworthiness · September 15, 2021
- Departed
- KSJC · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- PHNL · Daniel K. Inouye International Airport, runway 04R, 9,002 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Onboard weather, Data recorder, Satellite tracking device, Stall warning system, Auto-pilot, Angle of attack indicator, ADS-B
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew · 6
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 53
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 16, 2021
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 9,319 total · 1,644 in this make and model · 1,346 as pilot in command · 158 in the last 90 days · 54 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Age
- 37
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- September 16, 2021
- Seat
- Right
- Flight hours
- 185 total · 185 in this make and model · 0 as pilot in command · 30 in the last 90 days · 30 in the last 30 days · 10 in the last 24 hours
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 3-point
- Role
- Cabin crew
- Injuries
- None
- Seat
- Center
- Restraint
- 3-point
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 50° at 11 knots, gusting 18
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 82 °F, dew point 66 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.02 inHg
- Observed at
- ATIS PHNL
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 19, 2022, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 10.9 MB in all.