Incident Overview
On March 22, 2011, at approximately 2038 mountain daylight time, UPS Flight 797, an Airbus A-300F registered as N173UP, encountered a tail strike while executing a go-around at Albuquerque International Sunport (ABQ) in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The aircraft, operating under 14 CFR Part 121 as a domestic cargo flight from El Paso International Airport (ELP) to ABQ, sustained substantial damage. The flight crew reported no injuries. Visual meteorological conditions were present at the time.
Flight Progress and Approach
According to the flight crew and flight data recorder information, the captain was the pilot flying. The takeoff, climb, and cruise segments were uneventful. Prior to landing, the captain briefed for a visual approach to runway 26, noting gusty winds necessitating a wind additive to the approach speed and a go-around if the approach was not stabilized. On final approach, the local controller cleared the flight to land and reported winds from 310 degrees at 16 knots. At 1000 feet above ground level (AGL), the landing checklist was complete, the aircraft was fully configured for landing, and the approach speed was set to 132 knots, which was Vref plus 5 knots.
Events During the Touchdown and Go-Around
Flight data recorder information showed that during the final approach, the autothrottle disconnected at about 800 feet AGL. The airspeed decreased to as low as 129 knots but did not drop below Vref (127 knots). The first officer called out the low airspeed and adjusted the target from 132 to 134 knots. Although the captain increased power, the airspeed remained slightly below the approach speed until landing. Pitch attitude on final was stable at about 5 to 6 degrees nose up. At touchdown, the pitch attitude was about 7 degrees, with the aircraft contacting the runway first on the right main landing gear (MLG) and then on the left MLG. The flight crew reported feeling a bounce and simultaneously called for a go-around. Approximately one second after the initial touchdown, the ground spoilers began to deploy. In the subsequent two seconds, the pitch increased from 4.2 degrees to 12.7 degrees. Thrust levers advanced to near maximum thrust about one second after the left MLG touched down, while the ground spoilers were still in transit. Pitch attitude continued to increase to more than 14 degrees while the aircraft was still on the ground. Neither crew member was aware of a tail strike until the captain discovered damage to the aircraft during the post-flight inspection.
Damage Inspection
The tail strike resulted in cracks in the aft fuselage skin, numerous sheared rivets, internal structural damage to frames, a cracked support bracket, a buckled floor beam, buckled main cargo deck floor panels, and buckled stringers.