Date:	Friday 10 January 2025
Time:	02:55
Type:	Boeing 767-34AFER (WL)
Owner/operator:	UPS
Registration:	N324UP
MSN:	27750/724
Year of manufacture:	1998
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 3
Other fatalities:	0
Aircraft damage:	Substantial, repaired
Category:	Accident
Location:	San Bernardino International Airport (SBD/KSBD), San Bernardino, CA -   United States of America
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Cargo
Departure airport:	Louisville-Muhammad Ali International Airport, KY (SDF/KSDF)
Destination airport:	Ontario International Airport, CA (ONT/KONT)
Investigating agency:	NTSB
Confidence Rating:	Accident investigation report completed and information captured

Narrative:
UPS flight 5X2918, a Boeing 767-300F, experienced a tailstrike while landing on runway 6 at San Bernardino International Airport (SBD), California due to windshear.

Flight 2918 was originally destined for Ontario International Airport (ONT), California. After a missed approach at ONT, the flight crew elected to divert to SBD due to fuel state and unfavorable wind conditions at ONT. According to the flight crew, the approach into SBD was stabilized at both 1,000 and 500 ft above ground level (agl). The flight crew further stated that during landing on runway 6, the captain began a normal flare at about 100 ft agl, but he felt the airplane “nose come up and sink rate accelerate” at about 15 ft. The captain stated the airplane contacted the runway “slightly more firmly than usual” but it did not bounce.
Once on the runway, the flight crew received an aural windshear warning. Flight data showed the airplane’s pitch attitude reached a maximum of 8.1° at touchdown, sufficient to cause contact between the airplane’s lower fuselage and the runway. Additionally, flight data showed a vertical acceleration of 2.2g, and a windshear warning simultaneous with the touchdown that lasted about 5 seconds. An unscheduled stabilizer trim movement warning occurred immediately after the touchdown. Lastly, an unscheduled stabilizer movement, consistent with the tailstrike event, occurred momentarily about half a second after touchdown. During postlanding rollout, the captain recalled seeing a “tail skid” message on the engine indicating and crew alerting system (EICAS). During postlanding taxi, the first officer was unable to reset the stabilizer trim.
Postlanding inspection by the captain revealed substantial damage to the lower fuselage consistent with its contact with the runway. Further inspection of the airplane found damage to the tail skid shock strut and its support assembly as well as the horizontal stabilizer ballscrew actuator (jackscrew), both as a result of the tailstrike. The tail skid damage was consistent with the tail skid message observed on the EICAS by the flight crew. The flight data showed no evidence of a mechanical malfunction that would have contributed to the airplane pitch angle when the airplane touched down on the runway.

Probable Cause and Findings
Encounter with windshear during landing which resulted in a tailstrike.

KONT 090153Z 05020G31KT 10SM VCBLDU FEW250 17/M09 A3007 RMK AO2 PK WND 05043/0054 SLP177 FU DSNT W T01721089
KONT 090253Z 04019G28KT 10SM VCBLDU FEW250 18/M09 A3006 RMK AO2 PK WND 05035/0228 SLP173 T01781089 58001

KSBD 090150Z 01019G28KT 10SM CLR 17/M11 A3007
KSBD 090255Z 01019G28KT 10SM CLR 17/M11 A3010

NTSB
https://www.flightaware.com/live/flight/UPS2918
https://www.flightradar24.com/data/aircraft/n324up#38a99609

photo: NTSB

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
13-Jan-2025 17:23	SignorPignolini	Added
13-Jan-2025 17:28	ASN	Updated [Time, Aircraft type, Cn, Location, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative, ]
13-Jan-2025 17:30	ASN	Updated [Narrative, ]
15-Jan-2025 13:33	ASN	Updated [Location, ]
16-Jan-2025 15:07	ASN	Updated [Total occupants, Source, ]
14-May-2025 18:55	Captain Adam	Updated [Date, Time, Total occupants, Location, Source, Narrative, Category, Accident report, ]
01-Nov-2025 15:43	ASN	Updated [Total fatalities, Narrative, Accident report, Photo, ]
02-Nov-2025 12:19	ASN	Updated [Total fatalities, Total occupants, Source, ]