What happened
The approach to landing was performed normally, and the crew reported that while the touchdown was firm, it was not classified as a hard landing. Following touchdown, the aircraft pitched up and bounced. As the speed decreased to 107 knots and reverse thrust had been initiated, the captain became concerned about a potential porpoising event and elected to perform a go-around maneuver.
During the maneuver, the pilot rotated the Boeing aircraft to a nose-high attitude of approximately 12 degrees before achieving sufficient airspeed or a positive rate of climb. Consequently, the rear fuselage of the aircraft contacted the runway for a distance of approximately 3,000 to 4,000 feet, resulting in substantial damage to the airframe. The aircraft subsequently lifted off, and the crew successfully completed a second landing on runway 36R without further incident.
Findings
Boeing training documentation and FedEx guidance specify that once reverse thrust has been initiated, a full stop landing must be performed and a go-around should not be attempted. Furthermore, FedEx tailstrike awareness training dictates that the pilot flying must not exceed a 10-degree pitch or retract the landing gear until the aircraft is safely airborne with a positive rate of climb.