# NTSB DCA25LA286: Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR, N224JQ, Boston, MA, July 14, 2025

- Type: NTSB accident investigation
- Classification: Accident · No injuries · Class 4 · Limited · Final report
- Date: July 14, 2025, 18:30 local (22:30 UTC)
- Place: Boston, MA · landing airport coords
- Coordinates: 42.362944, -71.006389 (estimated)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.3629&lon=-71.0064&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: 80 uninjured
- Status: Completed, report June 4, 2026
- Report: Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class: Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office: Major Investigations Division
- Parties: FAA AVP-100
- NTSB case key (mKey): 200742
- NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=DCA25LA286
- NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/200742/pdf
- NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=200742
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/DCA25LA286

## Probable cause

The captain’s decision to continue the landing after the bounce and the subsequent misapplication of pitch controls. Contributing to the accident was the ongoing “land and hold short” operations that may have created an urgency to land.

## Findings

NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause.

- [Info processing/decision: identification/recognition](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Flight crew; cases with it: [Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md?model=3260121), [All aircraft, 559 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041510/cases.md)
- [Action: incorrect action performance](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015): Personnel issues › Action/decision · Pilot (probable cause); cases with it: [Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR, 2 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/cases.md?model=3260121), [All aircraft, 1,386 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041015/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: Tailstrike](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091) (defining event); cases with it: [Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091/sequence.md?model=3260121), [All aircraft, 124 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/091/sequence.md)

## Analysis

Republic Airways, dba Delta Connection, flight 5783 from Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG), Covington, Kentucky, to General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, was substantially damaged during a tail strike while landing at BOS. There were no injuries to the 4 crew members and 76 passengers on board. According to the flight crew, the instrument landing system (ILS) approach to runway 22L was normal, until the initial touchdown. The first officer flew the airplane to the final approach fix and then transferred control to the captain, to comply with company procedures for land and hold short operations, which were in place for the runway at the time. The first officer reported that the approach met company standards for a stabilized approach at both 1,000 and 500 ft above ground level (agl). Slight deviations from the glideslope occurred on short final, for which the captain performed appropriate corrections. The first officer recalled that after an initial touchdown the airplane bounced slightly, and the captain added some more back pressure to the control column as the airplane quickly sank back to the ground. The airplane touched down hard, the captain maintained directional control and the remainder of the landing was uneventful. A review of the flight recorder data revealed that the computed airspeed at the time of the initial touchdown was about 129 knots, and the pitch attitude was about 8°. As the airplane touched down the second time, the pitch attitude was about 9° and increasing, it then rose to about 14° just after the air/ground parameter changed to ground. According to the manufacturer’s airplane operations manual, the tail cone of the airplane should contact the ground at a pitch attitude of 14.5° with the landing gear struts fully extended, and at 10.5° with the struts fully compressed. The tail likely stuck the ground as the landing gear struts compressed during the second touchdown. Figure 1. Damage to aft fuselage and tail cone. (Courtesy: Republic Airways) The weather reported at BOS near the time of the accident included wind from 200° at 12 knots, visibility 10 miles, and a scattered cloud layer at 2,400 ft agl.

## Aircraft

- Registration: [N224JQ](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N224JQ), registered now, S/N 17000209, built 2008 (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: EMBRAER-EMPRESA BRASILEIRA DE ERJ 170-200 LR
- Registry model: [Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR](https://openairdocs.org/model/embraer-empresa-brasileira-de-erj-170-200-lr) (registry code 3260121) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: [GE CF34-8E5](https://openairdocs.org/engine/ge-cf34-8e5) (registry code 30061, turbo-fan) (OpenAirDocs)
- Category: Airplane
- Serial number: 17000209
- Year built: 2008
- Engines: GE CF34-8E5 14510 lbs thrust turbo fan; GE CF34-8E5 14510 lbs thrust turbo fan
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Flight: Part 121
- Operator: Republic Airways, doing business as Delta Connection
- Registered owner: Delta Air Lines Inc
- Airworthiness certificate: Standard, Transport
- Departed: CVG, Cincinnati, OH
- Destination: Same as departure
- Flight plan: IFR
- Airport: BOS, General Edward Lawrence Logan Intl, runway 22L, 10,006 × 150 ft, concrete

## Flight crew

As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.

- Pilot; age 39; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, unknown; last flight review July 18, 2025; seat: left; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 1,168 in this make and model
- Co-pilot; age 23; injuries: none; airline transport, commercial; airplane ratings: multi-engine land, single-engine land; instrument ratings: airplane; medical: class 1, unknown; last flight review May 21, 2025; seat: right; restraint: 5-point; flight hours: 90 in this make and model

## Weather

- Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day
- Wind: 200° at 12 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling: 14,000 ft broken
- Temperature: 81 °F, dew point 72 °F
- Altimeter: 30.01 inHg
- Observed at: KBOS
- METAR: SPECI KBOS 142212Z 20012KT 10SM SCT024 BKN140 BKN220 27/22 A3001 RMK AO2 T02670217=


## FAA reports on this event (1)

The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs).

- [Accident 20250714008709A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20250714008709A), Jul 14, 2025: Embraer-Empresa Brasileira De ERJ 170-200 LR, East Boston, MA, Substantial damage. Landing bos during daylight, VFR, light wind conditions, captain assumed duties as pilot flying (pf) due to LAHSO operations in effect landing runway 22L. The…

## Docket (6 files)

The files NTSB released with the investigation on June 4, 2026, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=200742. 5.3 MB in all.

- Pilot/operator aircraft accident report, NTSB form 6120.1 (item 1, PDF, 10 pages, 3.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19954549&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=01-01%206120_1_Form%20BOS_DCA25LA286_print_Redacted2-Rel.pdf
- Flight crew statements (item 2, PDF, 4 pages, 291 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19948993&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=02%20-%20Flight%20Crew%20Statements_Redacted-Rel.pdf
- Embraer 170/175 airplane operating manual excerpt (ground contact angles) (item 3, PDF, 3 pages, 403 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19949431&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=03-02%20Embraer_Ground_contact_specs_AOM-1502-035%2014-01-05-Rel.pdf
- Weather reports and records (item 4, PDF, 2 pages, 143 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19951900&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=04-01%20Weather%20Records_DCA25LA286-Rel.pdf
- Investigative photographs (item 5, PDF, 4 pages, 3 photos, 1.0 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19949049&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=06-02%20Photo_array_DCA25LA286-Rel.pdf
- Flight recorder tabular data (provided by FAA) (item 6, CSV, 15 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=19949397&FileExtension=csv&FileName=08-01%20DFDR%20tabular%20data%20224TailStrikeData-Rel.csv

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.