Summary
On 9 February 2020, a Qantas Boeing 787-9 was conducting a flight from London Heathrow Airport, Greater London, United Kingdom to Perth Airport, Australia. During rotation, the pilots received a tail strike caution message and returned for landing at London Heathrow Airport.
The United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) is conducting an investigation into this occurrence. As Australia is the State of Registration of the aircraft, the AAIB has requested an Accredited Representative from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) be appointed.
To facilitate this request, the ATSB initiated an external investigation under the provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
The UK AAIB is responsible for and will administer the release of the final investigation report into this incident.
Any enquiries relating to the investigation should be directed to the AAIB at: www.aaib.gov.uk
Final report
The occurrence
On 9 February 2020, a Qantas Airways Boeing 787-900, registered VH-ZND, departed on a flight from London Heathrow Airport, United Kingdom to Perth Airport, Australia. Shortly after initiation of aircraft rotation,[1] the flight crew received a caution message indicating that the tail strike prevention system had been triggered. After performing the relevant checks the flight crew returned the aircraft for an overweight landing at Heathrow Airport.
Investigation
The United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB) was responsible for the investigation into this occurrence. As Australia is the State of Registration of the aircraft, the AAIB requested appointment of an Accredited Representative from the ATSB.
To facilitate this request, the ATSB initiated an external investigation under the provisions of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003.
Conclusion
The AAIB investigation concluded that, during conditions of strong and gusty winds, a high pitch rate near lift-off caused the trail strike sensor to contact the runway surface. This resulted in activation of the aircraft’s tail strike prevention system and generation of an Engine Indication and Crew Alerting System TAIL STRIKE message. While the tip of the sensor was abraded due to contact with the runway, no further damage was found.
The final report of the investigation conducted by the AAIB can be found at AAIB investigation to Boeing 787-900, VH-ZND (www.gov.uk)
Any further information regarding this investigation should be directed to the AAIB via: enquiries@aaib.gov.uk
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The information contained in this update is released in accordance with section 25 of the Transport Safety Investigation Act 2003 and is derived from the AAIB investigation of the occurrence.
Occurrence summary
| Investigation number | AE-2020-015 |
|---|---|
| Occurrence date | 09/02/2020 |
| Location | London Heathrow |
| State | International |
| Report release date | 04/02/2021 |
| Report status | Final |
| Investigation type | External Investigation |
| Investigation phase | Final report: Dissemination |
| Investigation status | Completed |
| Mode of transport | Aviation |
| Occurrence class | Incident |
Aircraft details
| Manufacturer | The Boeing Company |
|---|---|
| Model | 787-9 |
| Registration | VH-ZND |
| Aircraft operator | Qantas |
| Sector | Jet |
| Operation type | Air Transport High Capacity |
| Departure point | London Heathrow, United Kingdom |
| Destination | Perth, Australia |
| Damage | Minor |