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| Date: | Monday 4 October 1993 |
| Time: | 18:20 LT |
| Type: |  Boeing 757-232 |
| Owner/operator: | Delta Air Lines |
| Registration: | N638DL |
| MSN: | 23761/177 |
| Year of manufacture: | 1988 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 18266 hours |
| Engine model: | P&W 2037 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 95 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Minor |
| Category: | Serious incident |
| Location: | Fort Lauderdale, FL -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Take off |
| Nature: | Unknown |
| Departure airport: | (KFLL) |
| Boston, MA (KBOS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
ACCORDING TO THE PILOTS, DURING THE TAKEOFF ROLL, THE AIRPLANE BEGAN TO BOUNCED FORWARD & BACKWARD, & AT ABOUT 128 KTS, THE NOSE PITCHED UP. INFO IN THE FLIGHT DATA RECORDER SHOWED THAT AT 95 KTS, THE ELEVATOR BEGAN A POSITIVE DEFLECTION; AT 108.5 KTS, PITCH ATTITUDE BEGAN TO INCREASE; THEN AT ABOUT 126 KTS, THE PITCH ANGLE REACHED A MAXIMUM VALUE OF 11.25 DEG & THE AIRCRAFT BECAME AIRBORNE. ABOUT 3 SECONDS AFTER INITIAL LIFT-OFF, THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN MOMENTARILY. THE CAPTAIN STATED THAT AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE, HE APPLIED FULL POWER & CONTINUED THE CLIMB. SUSPECTING A POSSIBLE TAIL STRIKE, HE ELECTED TO RETURN TO THE AIRPORT & LAND. A POST-FLIGHT EXAM REVEALED A 6' SCRAPE MARK AFT OF THE PRESSURE BULKHEAD. COMPUTED TAKEOFF SPEEDS FOR THIS FLIGHT WERE: DECISION SPEED (V1) 128 KTS, ROTATION SPEED (VR) 130 KTS, AND TAKEOFF SAFETY SPEED (V2) 135 KTS. THE PREVIOUS FLIGHT'S LIFT-OFF OCCURRED AT 151 KTS & 6.855 DEG NOSE UP PITCH. NO MECHANICAL PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED WITH THE AIRPLANE.
Probable Cause: FAILURE OF THE CAPTAIN TO USE THE PROPER ROTATION AND LIFT-OFF SPEEDS, WHICH RESULTED IN OVER ROTATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DURING TAKEOFF AND A SUBSEQUENT TAIL SCRAPE.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB ATL94IA001
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Mar-2024 15:50 | ASN Update Bot | Added |
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