Incident Details
A Boeing 757 made contact with the runway surface with its tail section during a visual approach conducted at night to Orange County Airport. The flight data recorder captured a pitch attitude reading of 11.074 degrees for a duration of two seconds at the moment of touchdown. The Boeing Company specifies that the maximum allowable pitch attitude at touchdown is 10.3 degrees.
Crew Background
The flight was operated by a captain who had not previously flown into Orange County Airport at night in this aircraft model. Notably, pilots who are certified to fly the Boeing 767 are also qualified to operate the Boeing 757 under existing regulations.
Historical Context
According to data available as of February 1990, tail strike incidents have been documented in both the Boeing 767 and 757 fleets. Specifically, 27 tail strikes have been recorded involving the Boeing 767 and 51 involving the Boeing 757 during the takeoff and landing phases of flight.