Watching those bad boys climb after launch is impressive. Very long burn and they would climb waaay up there to cruise in thin air. Even more impressive when they hit a target.
And just so its clear to all yalls - I was NOT the shrooming guy that tried to shut down the alaska engines in flight
We have a tail stand on the 737-800's for that reason. In the old days we used to load the aft cargo first for efficiency- AFT Center of Gravity makes for better fuel burn. But for whatever reason we can't hire employees that have the capacity to execute this so now the bags are thrown in willy nilly and as long as we know where they are it's fine. They always like to unload the forward cargo first for some reason, probably because that's where the wheelchairs, walkers, and strollers are supposed to go in last (first out) for all the moms and older folks who are waiting. We had a few tipping events, so now tail stands are mandatory. Guess JetBlue didn't get the memo.
They should have a tail strike plate...so maybe nothing. But probably requires a mechanic to check it. @Gino230 ??
If a passenger breaks an arm rest it’s gotta get a sign off. A tail strike for sure but probably nothing major
The 737-800 has a tail skid with a crushable canister, so if it were only the tail skid it's just a basic sign off. The problem is if there isn't a tail skid, they have to do some type of inspections. The pressure bulkhead is back there and if that's damaged it could take the whole tail off if it fails in flight (Japan air 747). We've had tail strikes on landing which have caused upwards of $1m in damage. I don't know how they came up with that number and if it includes lost revenue or whatever- it's probably the inspections that take the plane out of service that are the most expensive. But on landing, the part of the fuselage that hits is usually well forward of the tail skid, the tail skid only protects you on takeoff. These airplanes are pretty tough, that couldn't have caused more damage than a tail strike, you would think.....but my mechanical skills and knowledge are of the shade tree variety so take it for what its worth!
