A Tail Strike occurs during take-off, landing, or go-around when an aircraft's attitude is such that the tail contacts the runway. It can subsequently lead to outcomes such as loss of control (LOC) and runway excursion (RE), resulting in substantial aircraft damage.
According to the Global Aviation Data Management- GADM by IATA, tail strike is one of the TOP 5 accidents in the past ten years (2013-2022). In 2022, more than 250 airlines participating in the GADM program reported 24 Tail Strikes, of which six were rated as accidents. In 2023, the number of tail strikes increased to 65, of which five were rated as accidents.
Although there is typically a low risk of fatalities, these occurrences can cause significant damage to aircraft, resulting in millions of dollars in repairs and lost revenue for operators. Therefore, it’s clear why tail strikes should be ranked as one of the top issues for air operators in 2024.
According to multiple industry publications, the main contributing factors or prevalent precursors to tail strikes can be grouped as follows:
The precursors mentioned are typically considered "pilot errors." However, it is crucial to understand that a proactive safety management approach does not focus on blame. Instead, it focuses on factors driving safety. Pilot error alone cannot fully explain tail strikes, so improving the understanding of how safety controls fail is necessary to achieve effective risk mitigation.
