What happened
On October 1, 2016, a China Airlines Airbus A330-300, registration B-18307, was operating a scheduled passenger flight from Manila International Airport to Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport. The flight, CI704, was carrying 137 individuals, including 124 passengers and 13 crew members. The flight crew consisted of a trainee pilot (CM1) performing initial operating experience (IOE) and an instructor pilot (CM2).
During the approach to runway 23R at Taoyuan International Airport, the aircraft touched down and subsequently initiated a go-around. During the rotation phase of the go-around, the aircraft's tail struck the runway surface, leaving a 70-foot scrape on the pavement. The impact caused damage to the aircraft's lower fuselage skin and internal structures, specifically affecting frames 74 through 83. Following the incident, the crew performed the necessary emergency procedures and successfully landed the aircraft on runway 05R. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
The Taiwan Transportation Safety Board (TTSB) investigated the sequence of events, focusing on the crew's decision-making and manual handling of the aircraft. The investigation examined the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) to reconstruct the transition of control between the trainee and the instructor. The investigation also reviewed the instructor's prior training records and the aircraft's maintenance history.
Findings
- The instructor pilot (CM2) failed to maintain adequate situational awareness regarding the aircraft's engine thrust status. Specifically, the instructor did not notice that the trainee had deployed the reverse thrust, as his attention was focused on monitoring the aircraft's pitch.
- The instructor's attention was likely compromised by prior knowledge of the trainee's training records, which noted a tendency to delay nosewheel lowering. This caused the instructor to focus excessively on monitoring the aircraft's attitude rather than monitoring critical engine and warning display information.
- During the go-around, the instructor applied full aft sidestick input to achieve rapid rotation. However, because the thrust reversers had not yet stowed and locked, forward thrust could not increase immediately while speed was decreasing due to drag. This combination of high pitch, high trim settings, and delayed thrust recovery caused the tail strike.
- The trainee pilot (CM1) initiated the go-around without clear communication of the intent to the instructor, and the instructor's call for a go-around occurred after the main wheels had already left the ground, preventing effective monitoring and challenge of the decision.