AVIATION/ NTSB UPDATES ON NWA FL557

The NTSB has released its factual report into a tail strike suffered by a NORTHWEST AIRLINES A320 at Denver, Colorado, on May 4, 2009. On that date, NWA Flight 557 was on Domestic Service from Minneapolis/St Paul, Minnesota, to Denver, with 147 passengers and 7 crew members onboard. The aircraft suffered a tail strike while touching down on runway 16. 4 Flight Attendants suffered minor injuries in the incident and were treated and released at hospital. The NTSB report appears to show that the cause of the incident was Pilot Error. The Co-Pilot was Pilot flying. Following a standard approach with a brief approached speed of 139KIAS, the aircraft began descending thru 50 feet AGL at 800 feet/minute. At 45 feet AGL the Co-Pilot began to apply more than normal back pressure to arrest the sink rate. At 20 feet, the retard calls could be heard 3 times, however the thrust levers remained in the climb detent. The A320 pitched up 8 degrees, airspeed increased, and the aircraft settled on the runway at a vertical acceleration of 1.56G. Despite attempts by the flight crew, the A320 became airborne again. Ground spoilers were deployed touched down a 2nd time with the nose up at 11 degrees, with the Co-Pilot still applying maximum back pressure. The Captain then applied some forward stick pressure, however the pitch up increased to 12.5 degrees. It is at this point that a loud bang is heard on the CVR, the bang being the tail strike. As the Captain increased the stick pressure, the nose began to come down, which allowed the Co-Pilot ease back pressure. The aircraft then settled on the runway and rolled-out. The A320 suffered substantial damages in the incident, including abasions on the underside of the fuselage, cracks in the fuselage, and moderate damage inside the passenger cabin. The aircraft, pictured above prior to the accident, has since been repaired and returned to service on August 3, 2009. The NTSB notes that the Airline was increasing Pilot education on handling pitch altitudes above a certain target.