History of the Flight
On 7 August 2023, a Boeing 737-800 registered PK-GNM operated by PT. Garuda Indonesia as flight GIA532 departed Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Jakarta, for Syamsudin Noor International Airport, Banjarmasin, South Kalimantan. The flight was the second of the day for both pilots, who had flown a previous sector from Manado to Jakarta. The cockpit crew consisted of a Pilot in Command (PIC) serving as Pilot Monitoring and a Second in Command (SIC) as Pilot Flying. There were five flight attendants and 145 passengers aboard. The flight proceeded normally until the approach to Banjarmasin.
At 0617 UTC, the aircraft was instructed by Approach control to descend to 4,000 feet. At 0631 UTC, clearance was given for an ILS approach to Runway 10, with further descent to 3,000 feet. The aircraft contacted the Tower controller at 0635 UTC after leaving waypoint LIBNU. The Tower issued landing clearance and reported wind from 130 degrees at 9 to 15 knots, with a QNH of 1009 mb. The landing checklist was completed at 0638 UTC.
At 0640 UTC, at about 700 feet on final approach, the autopilot was disengaged and manual flying began. As the aircraft crossed the runway threshold, the pilots observed that the EGPWS altitude callout intervals were quicker than normal. The PIC assisted by holding the control column with his left hand while his right hand rested behind the throttle levers until the flare.
At 0641 UTC, the aircraft touched down and bounced with a high pitch attitude, causing the runway to become out of sight of the pilots. The PIC called for a go-around and advanced the throttle levers; the SIC continued to manage engine power. During the go-around, the aircraft touched down a second time with an even higher pitch attitude, resulting in the lower part of the empennage contacting the runway—a tail strike. The Tower controller observed sparks during the bounce and subsequently requested a runway inspection from Apron Movement Control.
The aircraft executed a go-around and was instructed to hold at waypoint LIBNU. After the runway inspection was completed, the aircraft landed safely.
After parking, the pilots requested a walkaround check from the maintenance engineer, who found scratches on the lower surface of the aft fuselage skin and damage to the tailskid damper.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Boeing 737-800, registration PK-GNM. (Further details such as serial number and engine type were listed in the report but are omitted here as not essential for the factual narrative.)
Damage
The tail strike resulted in scratches on the lower aft fuselage skin and damage to the tailskid damper. No other damage was reported.
Investigation
The Komite Nasional Keselamatan Transportasi (KNKT) is conducting the investigation. This preliminary report presents factual information only; no analysis or conclusions are included. Garuda Indonesia has implemented several safety actions in response to the occurrence. The KNKT has not issued any safety recommendations at this stage.
Safety Actions
Garuda Indonesia took safety actions that the investigation team considered relevant to addressing the safety issues identified so far.