Heavy Landing of a Boeing 737-82R at Naples International Airport (YR-BMM)

Incident Overview and Aircraft Details On May 6, 2022, at 14:03 UTC (16:03 local time), a Boeing B737-82R with registration YR-BMM, operated by Blue Air Aviation S.A., experienced a heavy landing at Naples International Airport. The aircraft, which had departed from Bucharest, was carrying 154 people, comprising a flight crew of three, a cabin crew of four, and 147 passengers. During the landing on runway 24, the rear fuselage and tail of the aircraft made contact with the ground, resulting in a tail strike. ## Damage and Post-Incident Actions The impact caused extensive abrasion, deformation, and cracking to the lower rear fuselage and tail paneling, with some underlying structural parts also deformed. The main landing gear was found compressed due to the heavy landing. Three days after the incident, investigators from the National Agency for Flight Safety (ANSV) observed blue paint marks on the runway threshold, indicating where the tail had struck the ground. Despite the damage, the aircraft vacated the runway, and passenger disembarkation proceeded normally. ## Personnel and Operational Context The flight crew consisted of a 54-year-old Romanian captain, a 49-year-old French first officer, and a 24-year-old Romanian safety pilot. The captain held an Airline Transport Pilot Licence and had extensive experience, including 8,991 hours on the Boeing 737 type. The first officer, holding a Commercial Pilot Licence, was conducting a line check following his last one on March 25, 2022. The safety pilot, also holding a Commercial Pilot Licence, had 1,170 hours on the Boeing 737 type. All crew members held valid medical certificates and English language proficiency. ## Investigation Objectives and Regulatory Framework The investigation was conducted by the ANSV, Italy's civil aviation safety investigation authority, in accordance with EU Regulation 996/2010 and ICAO Annex 13. The primary objective of the safety investigation was to prevent future accidents and incidents, not to assign blame or liability. The investigation involved data collection, analysis, and the determination of causes or contributing factors, with the potential for safety recommendations to be issued.