CAPT OF A DC9-50 STRUCK THE TAILSKID DURING LNDG DUE TO FLARING TOO QUICKLY RESULTING IN AN EXCESSIVE NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE DURING TOUCHDOWN.

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ON FINAL APCH AT 1000 FT WE WERE FULLY CONFIGURED AND ON SPD (BUG SPD OF 137 KTS). BELOW APPROX 500 FT THE CAPT GOT 5 KTS SLOW; SO I MADE A CALL TO THAT EFFECT. HE ACKNOWLEDGED. HE SPED UP ABOUT 2-3 KTS. AT ROUGHLY 100 FT; I AGAIN CALLED OUT THAT HE WAS SLOWING DOWN; WHICH HE ACKNOWLEDGED. AS WE APCHED THE FLARE; ALTHOUGH 5 KTS SLOW AND SLIGHTLY NOSE HIGH; IT LOOKED SAFE. IN THE FLARE HE ROTATED BACK QUICKLY AND WE HAD AN IMMEDIATE TAIL STRIKE. IT 'FELT' FUNNY; BUT WE DIDN'T REALIZE IT HAD BEEN A TAIL STRIKE AS IT WASN'T A 'HARD' LNDG. 2 DEADHEAD AIRMEN MID COACH ALSO DIDN'T KNOW. HOWEVER; 2 FLT ATTENDANTS IN THE REAR TOLD ME THEY SUSPECTED WE HAD HAD ONE. ON MY WALKAROUND; I DISCOVERED WE HAD INDEED STRUCK THE TAIL. I BELIEVE 3 THINGS LED TO IT: 1) THE -50 TAIL STRIKES AT A LOWER PITCH ATTITUDE THAN OTHER DC9'S. 2) WE WERE A LITTLE SLOW. 3) THE ABRUPT FLARE AND EXCESSIVE BACK TRIM LEFT NO ROOM FOR ERROR. I DIDN'T CALL FOR A GAR AS THE APCH DIDN'T APPEAR OUT OF THE SAFETY MARGIN UNTIL THE LAST MOMENT. IT WAS THE FIRST TIME AND THE FIRST LEG I'D EVER FLOWN WITH THIS PARTICULAR CAPT.