What happened
On November 29, 2023, a Boeing 747-467F was performing a takeoff from Frankfurt/Hahn Airport. During the rotation phase of the takeoff roll, the aircraft's pitch angle reached approximately 15 degrees. At this moment, the aerodynamic lift was insufficient to support the aircraft's state, triggering the stall warning and the activation of the stick shaker.
In response to the warning, the flight crew reduced the pitch angle and continued the climb. Upon landing at the destination airport, a physical inspection revealed that the rear of the aircraft had made brief contact with the runway surface. This tail strike resulted in light damage to the maintenance doors of the Auxiliary Power Unit (APU) located in the aft fuselage. There were no injuries to the crew, and no damage was caused to third parties.
The investigation
The BFU investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the tail strike, specifically examining the takeoff performance calculations and the crew's actions. The investigation reviewed the data entered into the Multipurpose Control and Display Unit (MCDU) and evaluated the crew's adherence to Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The investigators also examined factors such as Crew Resource Management (CRM), fatigue, and the procedures used for transferring performance data from the Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) to the aircraft systems.