737 Flight Crew Training Manual
During climb or descent, if VNAV or LVL CHG pitch control is not correcting the overspeed satisfactorily, switching to the V/S mode temporarily may be helpful in controlling speed. In the V/S mode, the selected vertical speed can be adjusted slightly to increase the pitch attitude to help correct the overspeed. As soon as the speed is below VMO/MMO, VNAV or LVL CHG may be re-selected.
Note: Anytime VMO/MMO is exceeded, the maximum airspeed should be noted in the flight log.
Tail Strike
Tail strike occurs when the lower aft fuselage or tail skid (as installed) contacts the runway during takeoff or landing. A significant factor that appears to be common is the lack of flight crew experience in the model being flown. Understanding the factors that contribute to a tail strike can reduce the possibility of a tail strike occurrence.
Note: Anytime fuselage contact is suspected or known to have occurred, accomplish the appropriate NNC.
Takeoff Risk Factors
Any one of the following takeoff risk factors may precede a tail strike:
Mistrimmed Stabilizer
This usually results from using erroneous takeoff data, e.g., the wrong weights, or an incorrect center of gravity (CG). In addition, sometimes accurate information is entered incorrectly either in the flight management system (FMS) or set incorrectly on the stabilizer. The flight crew can prevent this type of error and correct the condition by challenging the reasonableness of the load sheet numbers. Comparing the load sheet numbers against past experience in the airplane can assist in approximating numbers that are reasonable.
Rotation at Improper Speed
This situation can result in a tail strike and is usually caused by early rotation due to some unusual situation, or rotation at too low an airspeed for the weight and/or flap setting.
Trimming during Rotation
Trimming the stabilizer during rotation may contribute to a tail strike. The pilot flying may easily lose the feel of the elevator while the trim is running which may result in an excessive rotation rate.
737 Flight Crew Training Manual
Excessive Rotation Rate
Flight crews operating an airplane model new to them, especially when transitioning from an airplane with unpowered flight controls to one with hydraulic assistance, are most vulnerable to using excessive rotation rate. The amount of control input required to achieve the proper rotation rate varies from one model to another. When transitioning to a new model, flight crews may not realize that it does not respond to pitch input in exactly the same way as their previous model.
Improper Use of the Flight Director
The flight director provides accurate pitch guidance only after the airplane is airborne. With the proper rotation rate, the airplane reaches 35 feet with the desired pitch attitude of about 15 degrees. However, an aggressive rotation into the pitch bar at takeoff is not appropriate and can cause a tail strike.
Landing Risk Factors
A tail strike on landing tends to cause more serious damage than the same event during takeoff and is usually more expensive and time consuming to repair. In the worst case, the tail can strike the runway before the landing gear, thus absorbing large amounts of energy for which it is not designed. The aft pressure bulkhead is often damaged as a result.
Any one of the following landing risk factors may precede a tail strike:
Unstabilized Approach
An unstabilized approach is the biggest single cause of tail strike. Flight crews should stabilize all approach variables - on centerline, on approach path, on speed, and in the final landing configuration - by the time the airplane descends through 1,000 feet above ground level (AGL). This is not always possible. Under normal conditions, if the airplane descends through 1,000 feet AGL (IMC), or 500 feet AGL (VMC), with these approach variables not stabilized, a go-around should be considered.
Flight recorder data show that flight crews who continue with an unstabilized condition below 500 feet seldom stabilize the approach. When the airplane arrives in the flare, it often has either excessive or insufficient airspeed. The result is a tendency toward large power and pitch corrections in the flare, often culminating in a vigorous pitch change at touchdown resulting in tail strike shortly thereafter. If the pitch is increased rapidly when touchdown occurs as ground spoilers deploy, the spoilers add additional nose up pitch force, reducing pitch authority, which increases the possibility of tail strike. Conversely, if the airplane is slow, increasing the pitch attitude in the flare does not effectively reduce the sink rate; and in some cases, may increase it.
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