Incident: Westjet B738 at Calgary on Jun 25th 2024, tail scrape on departure

By Simon Hradecky, created Friday, Jul 5th 2024 19:41Z, last updated Friday, Jul 5th 2024 19:41Z

A Westjet Boeing 737-800, registration C-FZRM performing flight WS-1572 from Calgary,AB (Canada) to Houston Intercontinental,TX (USA) with 179 people on board, departed Calgary's runway 35R when upon rotation the tail of the aircraft contacted the runway surface. The crew continued departure and climbed the aircraft to FL350. In cruise the crew consulted with company maintenance, it was decided to return to Calgary, where the aircraft landed safely on runway 35R about one hour after departure.

A replacement Boeing 737-800 registration C-GWRG reached Houston with a delay of about 5:40 hours.

The Canadian TSB reported: "During aircraft rotation on takeoff from CYYC, the tail of the aircraft made contact with the runway surface. When the aircraft was established in cruise at FL350, the flight crew consulted with company maintenance and the decision was made to return to CYYC. The flight crew ran the checklist for a tail strike and depressurized the cabin, declared a PAN PAN with air traffic services and requested aircraft rescue and firefighting for the landing. The aircraft completed an uneventful approach and overweight landing. Company maintenance conducted a tail strike inspection and overweight landing inspection with no issues found."

The occurrence aircraft returned to service about 68 hours after landing back.

https://flightaware.com/live/flight/WJA1572/history/20240625/1844Z/CYYC/KIAH

Reader Comments: (the comments posted below do not reflect the view of The Aviation Herald but represent the view of the various posters)

@El.burro WestJet HUDs
By Jaffa on Wednesday, Jul 17th 2024 00:29Z

Westjet does have HUDs equipped on a fair amount of the older fleet, however, they're not certified for use and have been lock wired up.

Could be a HUD system fault
By El.burro on Monday, Jul 15th 2024 15:28Z

I�m not sure if WestJet has their 737s equipped with a heads up display. If they do, that could be the reason for this incident. The HUD is the only place you could have a tail strike indication in the cockpit. It uses radio altimeter and pitch angle data to warn that a tail strike COULD occur. The indication is �TAILSTRIKE� in the HUD. It does not, however, give any definite indication that a tail strike HAS occurred. A fault in the in the FCC or RA can generate a warning that is false. I have personally had this happen to me. After a normal takeoff climbing through 8000� AGL I received the TAILSTRIKE warning in the HUD. Out of an abundance of caution, after consulting with mx, we returned with no damage found. This is very possibly a similar situation to what happened here.

@767flier : what are you talking about?
By Pat on Monday, Jul 8th 2024 20:46Z

The additional tank of the A321 XLR is in the central fuselage area (close to the wing root), not at all in the tail. Why are you spreading disinformation?

Tail Strike
By KR2MAN on Monday, Jul 8th 2024 03:52Z

Each aircraft has a pitch that will guarantee that the aircraft tail will strike the runway.A321 or B 737 doesn�t matter The correct action is that the pilot should not meet or exceed that angle. No indicator or skid plate needed. Just don�t exceed that limit. Just like Captain Crunch, I�ll show my self out.

How is this a Boeing fault? - Imagine
By 767flyer on Sunday, Jul 7th 2024 13:57Z

Anonymous implies a Boeing fault. Airbus 320 is also 1970s early 1980s technology with updates. Both the 737 and 320 are capable and safe aircraft.

Airbus has had its own issues and is now pushing the envelope with the 321xlr with its extra fuel tank in the tail strike area. This tank is in a vulnerable area with some questioning its protection or lack of it.

Imagine
By (anonymous) on Sunday, Jul 7th 2024 02:36Z

If other companies behaved like Boeing, cars would be driving around with the chassis of the Model T

assumptions
By Lee on Sunday, Jul 7th 2024 01:53Z

There have been cases where TOWER has contacted the crew and informed them of an obvious strike, and yet the crew flew over the ocean with this information (cargojet W8-1328)

Does the 738 really not have any flight deck information about touching the ground? This is 2024 after all, not 1964.

TAIL STRIKE PROCEDURE.
By JEFF on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 11:06Z

Tail strikes may not be apparent to the pilots up front. However, tail strikes are apparent to cabin crew seated in their aft jump seats. Cabin crew are trained to contact the front flight deck crew to report anomalies as soon as practicable. That said, the flight deck crew may not have been advised until well into the cruise.

TAIL STRIKE PROCEDURE

Caution! Continued pressurization of the airplane can cause further structural damage.

1 Pressurization mode selector . . . . . . . . . . . .MAN

3 Plan to land at the nearest suitable airport. � � � �

Tail Strike

Condition: A tail strike is suspected or confirmed.

Use momentary actuation of the outflow valve switch to avoid large and rapid pressurization changes. 2 Outflow VALVE switch . . . . .Move to OPEN until the outflow VALVE indication shows fully open to depressurize the a

No Issues
By mike on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 10:07Z

Tail strike can have various effects. It can create structural damage. On the other side of the scale, it can be limited to a superficial scratch of the paint on the tail skid. No issues, does not imply that there was no tail scrape, but that it was not serious. Sometimes the inner cartridge of the tail skid has to be replaced, sometimes just to paint the lower part of the tail skid. Climbing to 35,000 with a potential tail strike is completely unacceptable. The checklist is very clear, it says: "Caution! Continued pressurization of the airplane can cause further structural damage". What is there to consult with maintenance and why wait until the cruise phase?

No tailstrike
By Sam on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 08:03Z

So this was not an tailstrike after all?

Company maintenance conducted a tail strike inspection and overweight landing inspection with no issues found."

Pretty Stupid
By Sam on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 07:18Z

Seems pretty stupid to climb that high following a potentially dangerous damage to the fuselage.

Friday WestJet Flights
By Trish on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 04:43Z

I flew on WestJet from Halifax, NS to Comox, BC on Friday with absolutely no problem (yeah, the flights were delayed just over an hour in the end, but, really?) Quite frankly, I appreciate caution under the circumstances that prevailed at that time.
Thanks WestJet! Well done!

By (anonymous) on Saturday, Jul 6th 2024 03:06Z

Hopefully they left FL350 before depressurizing the cabin. Why even do this?

By HomerJ on Friday, Jul 5th 2024 23:54Z

Was the company maintenance so busy that this flight got to the US border at cruise before they said 'ah..erm.. bring 'er back, boys..'? What a waste of fuel and peoples' time.