When pilots take off, they follow a precise routine: reaching a specific airspeed before rotating the aircraft to a predetermined pitch rate and attitude. This careful procedure ensures that, under normal conditions and with the aircraft properly loaded, the plane leaves the ground without incident. However, sometimes things don’t go as planned, and a tail-strike occurs.
A tail-strike happens when the tail of the aircraft contacts the runway during takeoff. This is a serious event and transforms the pilot’s role into that of an unintentional test pilot. Since pilots aren’t trained or paid to test the aircraft’s limits under such conditions, the safest and most immediate course of action is to return to the airport and land as soon as possible.
However, there’s a critical caveat: if the pilots are unaware that a tail-strike has occurred, they may continue flying toward their destination. It’s not uncommon for the crew to remain oblivious to the incident until after the flight has concluded. In such cases, the next crew performing the pre-flight inspection might discover scraping or damage on the underside of the tail.
Upon such a discovery, the aircraft undergoes a detailed inspection to assess any potential damage. Most of the time, the findings necessitate some repairs and repainting before the aircraft is deemed fit to return to service.
In summary, if a tail-strike is detected during takeoff, the standard protocol is to land immediately to ensure safety and assess any potential damage. If the strike goes unnoticed, the flight might continue as planned, with the damage being discovered and addressed later.
Gareth Edwards
Gareth is one of the founders and owners of final approach. Gareth covers many of the airports across the North west including Manchester, Liverpool & Hawarden. Gareth is the main designer of the website.
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