- Date
- May 5, 2023, 04:54 local (08:54 UTC)
- Place
- Charlotte, NC
- Injuries
- 177 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N921USAirbus A321-231
- 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
- Case key
- 135369
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 failure to maintain the appropriate airspeed and pitch attitude during landing which resulted in a tailstrike.
Findings · 3
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
American Airlines flight 1753 sustained a tailstrike while landing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, NC. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL to CLT. According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot flying, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot monitoring when they were cleared to land on runway 18L at CLT. The airplane was in the landing configuration and on a stabilized approach at 1,000 ft. above ground level (AGL). While crossing the runway’s threshold the wind shifted from a 6 -7 knot headwind component to a 6–7 knot tailwind component, the airspeed began to decay, and the airplane’s sink rate increased. In an effort to correct for the sink rate the captain applied back sidestick. The airplane touched down firmly and bounced, coincidentally the ground spoilers deployed which resulted in a nose high attitude. The airplane touched down a second time decelerated and taxied uneventfully to the gate. The captain stated that the ground spoiler deployment coinciding with the bounced touchdown resulted in an airplane nose-up pitch attitude. As a result, the pitch attitude increased until the tail struck the runway. After the tailstrike, and subsequent touchdown the remainder of the landing and landing rollout were normal with no risk of runway overrun or excursion. The tailstrike resulted in abrasion damage along the aft lower fuselage, over an area of about 14 feet long by 2 feet wide. An inspection revealed substantial damage to several frames.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N921US
- Reported as
- Airbus A321-231
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 6523
- Built
- 2015
- Engines
- IAE V2533-A5, 31,600 lbs thrust, turbo fanIAE V2533-A5, 31,600 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines Inc
- Registered owner
- American Airlines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Transport
- Departed
- Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- CLT · Charlotte/Douglas Intl, runway 18L, 8,677 × 150 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Auto-pilot, Data recorder, Electronic flight bag or handheld device, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator
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 · 2
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 55
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport, Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 17, 2022
- Seat
- Left
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 1,744 in this make and model
- Role
- Co-pilot
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Commercial, Flight engineer, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Helicopter, Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 6, 2022
- Seat
- Right
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 652 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 73 °F, dew point 45 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.15 inHg
- Observed at
- KCLT
- METAR
- KCLT 052052Z 23009KT 10SM FEW065 SCT250 23/07 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP220 T02330067 57013
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on March 27, 2024, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.2 MB in all.