What happened
On October 10, 2008, a Tunisair Boeing 737-600, registration TS-IOK, was preparing for a scheduled flight from Paris Orly to Tozeur, Tunisia. During the takeoff roll on runway 08, the pilot initiated rotation shortly after the aircraft reached 80 knots. This rotation occurred approximately 40 knots before the calculated rotation speed (VR) of 127 knots.
As the aircraft pitched up, the rear fuselage made contact with the runway. The aircraft briefly lifted to an altitude of 12 feet before the pilot, experiencing difficulty controlling the aircraft, decided to abort the takeoff. The engines were set to idle, and the aircraft was brought to a stop within the runway limits. The incident resulted in minor damage to the aircraft's rear fuselage, including the loss of the APU drain mast and damage to the horizontal stabilizer drain masts.
The investigation
The BEA investigation focused on the sequence of events leading to the premature rotation and the cockpit environment. Investigators examined the flight data from the FDR and the cockpit voice recordings from the CVR. The investigation also reviewed the takeoff performance calculations, including the weight and balance information, and the crew's use of the Flight Management Computer (FMC) to determine V1, VR, and V2 speeds.
Technical inspections of the aircraft's Pitot tubes and airspeed indicators were conducted to rule out instrumentation errors. The investigation also looked into the crew's recent duty history, noting that the commander had completed a short night duty prior to the incident.