CAPT OF A B737-800 MADE A HARD LNDG DUE TO SLOW DEPLOYMENT OF THE GND SPOILERS CAUSING SKIN DAMAGE TO THE LOWER BOTTOM OF THE AFT FUSELAGE.

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OPERATING AS CAPT AND AS THE PF ON A FLT FROM EWR TO SJU IN A B737-800; I MADE MY APCH TO TJSJ. THE TKOF; CLB; ENRTE AND APCH PHASES OF THE FLT WERE NORMAL AND WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE ENTIRE FLT UP TO AND INCLUDING THE APCH WERE SMOOTH. I CONDUCTED A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 8 ON THE LAGOON VISUAL AND THE APCH WAS STABLE. I RECALL A SLIGHT XWIND VARYING BTWN 8-12 KTS. ALL CHKLISTS WERE CALLED FOR AND COMPLETED. THE APCH WAS FLOWN ON SPD AND I THOUGHT IT WAS A NORMAL FLAIR. THE ACFT LANDED FIRMLY BUT NOT HARD; HOWEVER; THE ACFT DID BOUNCE AND BECOME AIRBORNE. THE GND SPOILERS SEEMED TO DEPLOY SLOWLY AND I QUESTIONED WHETHER THEY WERE INDEED DEPLOYED. I GRABBED THE SPOILER HANDLE AND FULLY DEPLOYED THE SPD BRAKE. AS THE ACFT BECAME AIRBORNE; THE NOSE BEGAN TO PITCH UP. MY FO ASSISTED ME BY GENTLY PUSHING THE YOKE FORWARD AND KEEPING THE NOSE DOWN. THE SECOND TOUCHDOWN AND ROLLOUT WERE WITHOUT INCIDENT. AFTER SECURING THE ACFT AT THE GATE; I ASKED THE FO IF I SHOULD WRITE UP A HARD LNDG. WE CONCURRED THAT ALTHOUGH THE LNDG WASN'T GOOD FOR MY EGO; IT DID NOT QUALIFY AS A HARD LNDG. I MADE A POSTFLT INSPECTION AND FOUND NO DAMAGE TO THE LNDG GEAR; THE TAILSKID WAS SHOWING A 1 1/2 INCHES OF GREEN OVER 3 INCHES OF RED AND THE FUSELAGE APPEARED NORMAL. THE ACFT DID AN EWR TURN FROM SJU AND THEN OVERNIGHTED IN SJU. DURING THE EVENING INSPECTION; AN 8 INCH CRACK WAS FOUND FORWARD OF THE TAILSKID AS RPTED TO ME BY THE CAPT WHO FLEW THE 2 SUBSEQUENT LEGS. THE ACFT WAS FERRIED TO MCO FOR REPAIR. I FOUND NO INDICATION OF A TAIL STRIKE AND THE OVERNIGHTING FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS SEATED IN THE AFT JUMP SEAT SAID SHE DID NOT THINK THERE HAD BEEN A TAIL STRIKE OR THAT THE LNDG WAS THAT HARD. I FINISHED THE TRIP. DATA HAS BEEN GATHERED BUT I DO NOT KNOW THE RESULT OF THAT DATA AT THIS TIME. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 464688: WHILE OPERATING ACR X SJU-EWR FEB/XA/00; I FAILED TO SEE LOWER AFT FUSELAGE DAMAGE ON A REQUIRED WALKAROUND. THIS DAMAGE RAN FROM ABOUT 4 FT FORWARD OF THE TAILSKID TO 10 FT FORWARD (PICTURE ATTACHED). ADDITIONALLY; I MISSED IT ON THE THOROUGH FLT WALKAROUND ACR EWR-SJU FEB/00. BOTH TKOFS AND LNDGS; MADE BY THE FO WERE CLOSE TO FLAWLESS. UPON ARR TO MY ROOM IN SAN JUAN; I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE ACR X OPS DIRECTOR; TELLING ME ABOUT THE DAMAGE DISCOVERED ON THE OVERNIGHT MAINT CHK. I WAS SURPRISED TO HEAR OF THE DAMAGE; BUT REMEMBERED THE INBOUND CAPT HAD MENTIONED THAT THE AUTOSPOILER HAD FAILED TO DEPLOY AND THEY HAD 'BOUNCED PRETTY GOOD.' I RELATED THAT INFO TO THE OPS DIRECTOR.