2003 Boeing 747-300 Tail Scrape at Johannesburg International Airport (ZS-SAJ)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On 11 March 2003, a Boeing B747-300 with registration ZS-SAJ was scheduled to depart Johannesburg International Airport, South Africa, for Sao Paulo, Brazil, on an international scheduled flight. The aircraft had a total flying time of 20,335.25 hours. The pilot-in-command held a transport pilot's license, was 56 years old, and had 5,829.45 hours on type. The flight crew consisted of 5 people, with 15 other crew members and 137 passengers on board. ## Operational Context and Pre-Flight Issues The flight was initially delayed by air traffic control (ATC) because only one ATC radar sector was in use. During the pre-flight inspection, the auxiliary power unit (APU) failed to provide sufficient airflow for the cockpit and cabin and to start the engines. The crew planned to use a ground air cart to start one engine and then cross-bleed start the others. The expected 45-minute delay was reduced to 30 minutes when ATC issued start clearance. ## Weight and Speed Calculation Error The flight engineer obtained the load sheet but entered the zero fuel weight of 203,580 kg instead of the aircraft's takeoff weight of 324,456 kg into the hand-held performance computer. The computed takeoff speeds were then transferred to the takeoff cards. The pilot-in-command checked the speeds, as the first officer was busy, and both pilots set the relevant bugs on their airspeed indicators. These bugged speeds were incorrect for takeoff. ## Takeoff and Aftermath During the takeoff roll from Runway 03L, with engine power set at 1.42 EPR and 10° of flaps selected, the pilot-in-command called “ROTATE” at the speed set on the airspeed indicator. He sensed the aircraft felt nose-heavy and delayed rotation by 15 knots. As the aircraft became airborne, the pilot-in-command requested more thrust because the aircraft still felt “sluggish,” and the flight engineer called “sinking.” The pilot-in-command kept the nose down to gain more speed. The aircraft climbed away at a positive rate of climb before the landing gear was retracted. ATC notified the pilot that a tail scrape had occurred during takeoff. Fuel was dumped before the aircraft landed back at Johannesburg International Airport. The crew and passengers disembarked normally without any injuries.