What happened
During a flight intended for initial operating experience for a first officer, the aircraft sustained damage during the landing phase. The crew consisted of a captain in the right seat, a first officer in the left seat, and a company check airman. A passenger seated in the forward cabin jump seat observed that the aircraft appeared to level off and begin a flare at a slightly high altitude.
To continue the descent, the crew made a correction to reduce the pitch attitude. However, this resulted in a high sink rate. An additional pitch change was performed, which ultimately led to a firm landing.
The investigation
Following the flight, a postflight maintenance inspection was conducted. This inspection discovered substantial damage to the tailskid and the adjacent structure of the aircraft.