Probable cause
the captain's improper recovery from a bounced landing which resulted in a tailstrike.
NTSB analysis
The flight crew stated that the captain was the pilot flying and the first officer was the pilot monitoring. The captain stated that, once he turned off the autopilot while on the approach to runway 25L, he thought "the winds seemed a little stronger…" than what was reported, and it felt "a little squirrelly." He said he initiated the flare within about 20 feet above the ground and pitched up for the flare, but stated he did not feel any pitch response, so he brought the nose up a little more to arrest the descent. Upon initial touchdown, he estimated that the airplane bounced about 5-10 feet back into the air. On the subsequent touchdown, the airplane's tail struck the runway.
Postaccident investigation revealed substantial damage to the underbelly and aft bulkhead area. The skin was abraded over a large area through its thickness in several areas of the pressure vessel . One frame was fractured along with several fractured shear ties and frame clips.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for DCA13FA071 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Apr 5, 2013
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Nearest airport
- Las Vegas (LAS)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Airbus 321
- N-number
- N560UW
- Category
- Airplane
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 121 (airline)
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.