Airbus A321-231 accident near Charlotte, North Carolina, May 5, 2023
On May 5, 2023 at about 8:54 am local time, a 2015 Airbus A321-231, registered N921US, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (flare/touchdown) near Charlotte, North Carolina (Charlotte/Douglas Intl airport). It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 177 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The captain’s failure to maintain the appropriate airspeed and pitch attitude during landing which resulted in a tailstrike.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2023 · about 8:54 am local time
- Place
- Charlotte, North Carolina · Charlotte/Douglas Intl · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 177 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Airbus A321-231, built 2015 · all A321-231s on the register
- Registration
- N921US · registry record · serial 6523
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
American Airlines flight 1753 sustained a tailstrike while landing at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), Charlotte, NC. The flight was a regularly scheduled domestic passenger flight from Fort Lauderdale, FL to CLT. According to the flight crew, the captain was the pilot flying, and the first officer (FO) was the pilot monitoring when they were cleared to land on runway 18L at CLT. The airplane was in the landing configuration and on a stabilized approach at 1,000 ft. above ground level (AGL). While crossing the runway’s threshold the wind shifted from a 6 -7 knot headwind component to a 6–7 knot tailwind component, the airspeed began to decay, and the airplane’s sink rate increased. In an effort to correct for the sink rate the captain applied back sidestick. The airplane touched down firmly and bounced, coincidentally the ground spoilers deployed which resulted in a nose high attitude. The airplane touched down a second time decelerated and taxied uneventfully to the gate. The captain stated that the ground spoiler deployment coinciding with the bounced touchdown resulted in an airplane nose-up pitch attitude. As a result, the pitch attitude increased until the tail struck the runway. After the tailstrike, and subsequent touchdown the remainder of the landing and landing rollout were normal with no risk of runway overrun or excursion. The tailstrike resulted in abrasion damage along the aft lower fuselage, over an area of about 14 feet long by 2 feet wide. An inspection revealed substantial damage to several frames.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
What happened, in order
- Tailstrike during landing (flare/touchdown) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Pitch control › Not attained/maintained
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Airspeed › Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,744 in this make and model
- Last flight review: August 17, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: helicopter; instructor: instrument airplane; instructor: instrument helicopter; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 652 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 6, 2022
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 379
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine 2: Iae V2533-A5 (turbofan); 68,866 hours total
- Engine 3: Iae V2533-A5 (turbofan); 25,102 hours total
- Operator: American Airlines INC
The flight
- Departed from: Fort Lauderdale FL
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 18L, 8,677 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.15 inHg
- Observation at 4:52 pm from KCLT
Weather report (METAR): KCLT 052052Z 23009KT 10SM FEW065 SCT250 23/07 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP220 T02330067 57013
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 5 | |||
| Passengers | 172 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number DCA23LA278.