Azul ATR-72 Damaged In Brazil Tail Strike

Summary

An Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras ATR 72-600 experienced a tail strike during landing at Recife Airport (REC), resulting in damage to the aft fuselage.
The aircraft did not go around and nobody onboard was injured.
The ATR 72-600’s next flight was canceled, and it remains on the ground at REC.

An Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras ATR 72-600 suffered damage to its aft fuselage following a tail strike while it landed at Recife Airport (REC). The turboprop operated a domestic flight AD2737 from Aracaju Santa Maria Airport (AJU) to REC in Brazil on November 22, 2023.

ATR 72-600’s tail strike during landing

Videos shared on social media, including X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the aircraft on approach at REC. As the aircraft was landing at the airport, the pilots raised the nose of the aircraft, and the high angle of attack (AoA) resulted in the tail impacting the airport’s sole runway.

The ATR 72-600, registered as PR-AKO, did not go around, and an Azul spokesperson told Simple Flying that “the [the aircraft] stopped normally and all Customers subsequently disembarked in complete safety and without any complications.” The representative noted that “the rear part of the aircraft came into contact with the runway.”

Meanwhile, the ATR 72-600’s next flight to Mossoro Airport (MVF) was canceled, with the aircraft staying on the ground at REC since the incident occurred, Flightradar24 data showed. Post-incident photos shared on X, formerly known as Twitter, showed significant damage to the ATR 72-600’s paint surface. Whether the inner fuselage was substantially damaged remains unclear.

According to ch-aviation data, the ATR 72-600, registered as PR-AKO, was delivered to the Brazilian airline on December 24, 2021. Azul has operated the aircraft since, with the single-aisle turboprop accumulating an estimated 3,797.55 flight hours (FH) and 3,540 flight cycles (FC) as of October 2023. Ch-aviation data also showed that the aircraft has 74 seats onboard.

In total, Azul operates 42 ATR 72-600s, nine of which are currently inactive. Other aircraft within the airline’s fleet include 48 Airbus A320neo, six A321neo, four A330-200, five A330-900, two A350-900, two Boeing 737-400 converted freighters, 46 Embraer E195, and 18 E195-E2 aircraft.

Brazilian and other special Azul liveries

However, the ATR 72-600 is one of the airline’s aircraft painted in the special Brazilian flag liveries. Other aircraft with the color scheme include an Airbus A321neo, registered as PR-YJE, an A330-200, registered as PR-AIV, and an Embraer E195, registered as PR-AYV. The most recent aircraft to be delivered to the airline with the livery was the Airbus A321neo, which was delivered on December 22, 2021. However, ATR handed over the Brazilian-flag ATR 72-600 just two days later.

Azul has other special liveries in its fleet, including the Azul Viagens aircraft. Unlike the regular livery, which includes a paint scheme with an all-white top fuselage and blue on the bottom, with a map of Brazil on the tail, the Azul Viagens liveries have an all-teal fuselage. There are two aircraft with such a livery in its fleet, namely an Embraer E195, registered as PR-AVY, and an Airbus A330-200, registered as PR-AIU.

Then, it has four aircraft dedicated to Disney characters, namely Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and Daisy Duck. The quartet was delivered to Azul between September 2021 and December 2022, with the airline promoting its Walt Disney World experiences to travelers throughout Brazil. In total, the airline has 35 aircraft with special liveries or stickers on fuselages, according to planespotters.net data.