{"id":132168,"date":"2026-02-06T22:08:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-06T16:38:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=132168"},"modified":"2026-02-06T21:19:25","modified_gmt":"2026-02-06T15:49:25","slug":"latam-boeing-777-tail-strike-at-milan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/06\/latam-boeing-777-tail-strike-at-milan\/","title":{"rendered":"LATAM Boeing 777 Tail Strike at Milan Linked to 100-Ton Takeoff Calculation Error"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

SANTIAGO-<\/strong> LATAM Airlines (LA)<\/a> faced an accident investigation after a Boeing 777-300ER suffered a tail strike during takeoff from Milan in July 2024 due to incorrect weight calculations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Italian investigators confirmed the aircraft used the wrong takeoff data at Milan Malpensa Airport (MXP), leading to insufficient thrust and rotation at unsafe speeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"LATAM
Photo: By Anna Zvereva from Tallinn, Estonia – LATAM Airlines (Star Wars-Galaxy’s Edge Livery), PT-MUA, Boeing 777-32W ER, CC BY-SA 2.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=87549841<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

LATAM 777 Tail Strike Investigation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Italy\u2019s accident investigation authority, ANSV, concluded that a 100-tonne error occurred while the crew calculated the aircraft\u2019s gross takeoff weight before departure to S\u00e3o Paulo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final load sheet was received around ten minutes before pushback. While the correct zero-fuel weight was entered into the flight management computer, the line-training captain miscalculated gross weight by subtracting expected taxi fuel consumption incorrectly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The result, 228.8 tonnes instead of the correct 328.4 tonnes, was verbally announced and subsequently used by both pilots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Both pilots then entered this incorrect weight into their electronic flight bags for performance calculations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Because both devices used the same wrong figure, cross-checking showed matching results, masking the mistake. No comparison was made with loadsheet data or flight management computer values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Performance Data Became Invalid<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The incorrect takeoff weight resulted in the wrong configuration and assumed temperature inputs. The flight management computer could not generate a valid takeoff solution within available runway limits, triggering a \u201cV-speeds unavailable\u201d message.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite noticing the message, the crew did not identify the reason or halt the departure. Investigators noted that calculated speeds appeared significantly lower than expected for a fully loaded Boeing 777-300ER<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Correct calculations would have produced speeds around:<\/p>\n\n\n\n