- Date
- December 21, 1989, 22:34 local (Dec 22, 1989, 06:34 UTC)
- Place
- Santa Ana, CA
- Injuries
- 111 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N611AMBoeing 757-223
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Status
- Completed · report June 30, 1992
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19891221065369A
- Case key
- 26708
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 copilot's overrotation of the aircraft during the flare which allowed the tail to collide with the runway. The failure of the captain to take appropriate corrective action was a factor in the accident.
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 tail of a Boeing 757 struck the runway during a visual night landing at the orange county airport. The flight data recorder indicated a pitch attitude of 11.074 degrees for two seconds at touchdown. The Boeing company stated the maximum pitch at touchdown should not exceed 10.3 degrees. This was the captain's first night time flight into orange county airport in this type of aircraft. Aircrews certified in the Boeing 767 aircraft are also qualified in the Boeing 757 aircraft. As of February, 1990, there have been 27 known tail strikes in the 767 and 51 tail strikes in the 757 aircraft during the takeoff and landing phases of flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N611AM
- Reported as
- Boeing 757-223
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 24487
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce RB-211-53, 40,100 lbs thrust, turbo fan
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Part 121
- Operator
- American Airlines
- Registered owner
- Wilmington Trust Company
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal; Standard, Transport
- Departed
- DFW · Dallas/Ft Worth, TX
- Flight plan
- IFR
- Airport
- SNA · Orange County, runway 19, 5,700 × 150 ft, asphalt
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 54
- Certificates
- Flight engineer, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 2,674 in this make and model
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Night/dark
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 5 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- 2,800 ft broken
- Temperature
- 57 °F, dew point 52 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- SNA
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.