Hong Kong authorities say a newly-typed first officer making his first landing in an Air Canada Boeing 777 300ER was at the controls when the aircraft suffered a tail strike last Dec. 11. The pilot got his type certificate with simulator training only five days before. Everything was normal on the approach when the aircraft entered a “pronounced” roll to the right and then left as it went over the threshold. “The [first officer] introduced large control inputs into the aircraft to control the sudden and unanticipated roll behaviour,” the Hong Kong Air Accident Investigation Authority said in its preliminary report. “The aircraft was not wings-level at the touchdown point as it was rolling to the right.”
The aircraft landed hard on the right main gear and the tail smacked the runway before the plane bounced and then landed safely. “The aircraft is currently unserviceable and is undergoing a major repair process,” the inquiry said. There were 376 passengers and 17 crew aboard and none were hurt.