Tail Strike During Takeoff Roll at Milan Malpensa (EI-DTB)

Event Overview and Aircraft Details On 17 August 2017, an Airbus A320-216 with registration EI-DTB experienced a serious incident during a commercial, unscheduled multi-sector flight from Milan Malpensa (LIMC) to Rome Fiumicino (LIRF). At 15:14 UTC, while beginning the takeoff roll on runway 35R, the aircraft assumed a sharply nose-up attitude and struck the runway with the lower-rear fuselage, resulting in a tail strike. The flight crew aborted the takeoff, cleared the runway, and later returned to the parking area to deplane passengers without further issues. The aircraft sustained damage to the lower-rear fuselage, with no injuries reported among the six crew members and 103 passengers on board. ## Investigation and Findings The Italian National Agency for the Safety of Flight (ANSV) conducted the safety investigation in accordance with EU Regulation 996/2010 and ICAO Annex 13. The following day, investigators retrieved the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) and examined the aircraft. Visual inspection revealed an abraded area measuring approximately 1.80 meters by 30 centimeters on the lower-rear fuselage, along with abrasion on the rear drain mast. No structural damage was initially apparent. Subsequent detailed inspection identified damage between frames FR65 and FR70 and stringers STGR 42RH and 42LH. The minimum residual structural thickness measured between FR67 and FR68 was 1.2 millimeters, compared to a nominal thickness of 1.6 millimeters. ## Contributing Factors The investigation determined that the tail strike resulted from a significant longitudinal imbalance at takeoff. This imbalance originated from unvalidated passenger distribution data transmitted between handlers at the airports and the airline's load controller at Rome Fiumicino. The flight was the fourth and final sector of a daily rotation operated for a cruise company, with the first two sectors running from Rome Fiumicino to Milan Malpensa to Hamburg, and the last two from Hamburg to Milan Malpensa to Rome Fiumicino. At Hamburg, the handler pre-accepted 171 passengers, assigning seats after row 12 to passengers bound for Rome Fiumicino and rows 1 through 12 to those bound for Milan Malpensa. Three unit load devices (ULDs) destined for Milan Malpensa were placed in the forward cargo hold. Because Hamburg was outside the airline's network, passenger data were not automatically transferred to the aircraft via ACARS. Instead, the handler sent the data to the load controller at Rome Fiumicino using a paper-based load distribution sheet (LDS-A320) via email. This form was not specifically designed for multi-sector flights and lacked space to indicate seat occupancy conditions for the two different destinations. The load controller, using SABRE software, entered a reasonable but unvalidated seat configuration, assuming a homogeneous distribution of passengers for both destinations. This unvalidated data was then used by the handler at Milan Malpensa to produce the load sheet for the Milan Malpensa to Rome Fiumicino sector, which indicated a passenger distribution of 33 in sector 0A, 39 in sector 0B, and 31 in sector 0C. However, after deplaning at Milan Malpensa, the actual distribution of the 103 remaining passengers was 4 in sector 0A, 47 in sector 0B, and 52 in sector 0C. Additionally, the ULDs that had been in the forward cargo hold were deplaned at Milan Malpensa. This distribution was unsuitable for proper aircraft balance, as the 103 passengers occupied nearly all rear rows and the forward cargo hold had been lightened. A significant contributing factor identified was the failure of the cabin and flight crew to visually verify the abnormal passenger distribution before takeoff. ## Repair and Release The permanent repair approved by the aircraft manufacturer involved the removal and replacement of damaged parts and fasteners, as well as intact fasteners near the affected area, and the restoration of surface protection. Following these technical interventions, aircraft EI-DTB was released into service.