Pilot Debrief

AIRBUS A321 near Atlanta, GA — 2017-06-23

Final reportDCA17LA145
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Date
2017-06-23
Location
Atlanta, GA, USA
Airport
ATL
Aircraft
AIRBUS A321
Registration
N315DN
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Landing

Probable cause

The first officer's improper landing flare, which resulted in a hard, bounced landing, and the flight crew’s improper bounced landing recovery procedures.

NTSB narrative

The first officer was on her third day of initial operating experience training and was the pilot flying for the flight; the captain, a check airman, was the pilot monitoring. The first officer reported that this was her fourth landing in an A320-series airplane and her first landing in an A321 model. According to the captain and first officer, the flight was cleared for the visual approach, the approach was stable, and wind was out of the southwest at 12 kts with gusts up to 20 kts. The first officer recalled that the captain instructed her to "pull back pull back" before touchdown. Both pilots reported that the landing was “firm.” The first officer stated that after landing, the captain provided feedback that she flared a little low (near 20 ft above ground level [agl] instead of 30 ft agl) and did not provide enough pitch back on the side stick. Both crewmembers reported that the first officer was late to flare on previous landings. A company pilot who was seated in the cockpit jumpseat reported the captain was providing instruction to the first officer during the flight about the nuances of the A321. He stated that the descent and arrival were uneventful up until the flare and that the first officer “never really performed any type of flare maneuver even as the captain repeatedly called for the F/O to perform one." Subsequent preflight inspection of the airplane by the next flight crew revealed an area of abrasion damage to the aft fuselage about 13 ft long by 2 ft wide affecting two skin panels. The fuselage skin was abraded through in several areas with damage to the underlying stringers and frames. Several frames, stringers, and shear clips were also bent and/or fractured.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Loss of control
First missed decision gate
Captain could have maintained nose up attitude to avoid tail strike.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • FDR / data
  • Photos
  • 18 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents18

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