N315DN

On June 23, 2017, about 1338 eastern daylight time, Delta Air Lines flight 800, an Airbus A321-211, N315DN, experienced a tail strike during landing on runway 26R at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), Atlanta, Georgia. There were no injuries to the 199 passengers and crew onboard, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The scheduled domestic passenger flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 121 from General Edward Lawrence Logan International Airport (BOS), Boston, Massachusetts, to ATL. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the landing.

Review of flight data recorder data showed that the airplane descended below 2,000 ft agl at 1335:55; the autopilot was not engaged, and the autothrottle was engaged. At 1337:58, the airplane's pitch began increasing from 2° airplane nose up. At 1338:03, the flare law mode activated. At 1338:04.2, the cockpit voice recorder recorded the automated alert "TWENTY" as the airplane passed through 20 ft agl. The captain instructed the first officer to bring the nose up three times between this alert and runway contact. At 1338:06, the autothrottle disengaged. At 1338:07, both main landing gear weight on wheels (WOW) switches transitioned from air to ground. At that time, the airspeed was about 130 kts, the pitch was about 6.2° airplane nose up, the wings were level, and the airplane experienced its greatest vertical acceleration of 1.89 g. About 1 second later, the spoilers deployed, and the main landing gear WOW switches transitioned to air. The cockpit voice recorder recorded an automated alert of "PITCH PITCH" at 1338:08.6, followed by the captain instructing the first officer to lower the nose. At 1338:09, the main landing gear WOW switches transitioned back to ground and stayed in that state. About the time of the second WOW ground indication, the maximum pitch of 9.7° airplane nose up and a vertical acceleration of 1.65 g were recorded. The cockpit voice recorder recorded an automated alert of "DUAL INPUT" at 1338:10. The flight data recorder showed longitudinal and lateral control stick inputs on the captain's stick for about 3 seconds beginning about 1338:07.5. The nose landing gear WOW status transitioned to ground at 1338:12, and the airplane decelerated using brakes, spoilers, and thrust reversers.