Tailstrike

A Tailstrike (of English. Tail = "tail ", " tail " and strike = " Impact ", " Impact " ) is the unwanted touching the runway by the aircraft tail. This can happen when the pilot when starting the machine pulls too steep and thus performs the plane shortly before take-off to a large rotation about the transverse axis. On landing, it may also come to an impact of the aircraft tail, if the pilot is too strong right before touchdown pulls the elevator and thus the nose of the aircraft lifts too strong. The longer the fuselage of the aircraft, the greater the risk of Tailstrikes.

As part of the authorization and exercise testing ( VMU test and good test) Tailstrikes be aware brought about in order to determine, for example, the lowest possible lift-off speed of an aircraft at maximum angle of attack.

Avoid Tailstrikes

In modern aircraft, there are different systems to avoid Tailstrikes in use.

  • The manufacturer of the maximum rotation angle is specified for each aircraft type. This must comply with the pilot.
  • Have commercial aircraft, as can be clearly seen on the Dash 8 in the picture, a strong bevel of the stern. This serves to allow the aircraft to have a greater angle of rotation. The Dash can, for example, with an angle of 7 ° to withdraw. Some aircraft types have an allowable rotation angle of only 3 °.
  • There are also some mechanical and electronic methods to avoid Tailstrikes or at least to minimize their effects on the aircraft:
Mechanics Electronics
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