IndiGo aircraft suffers tail strike while landing at Ahmedabad Airport

An IndiGo aircraft operating between Bengaluru-Ahmedabad suffered a tail strike while landing at Ahmedabad airport on Thursday (June 15), the second such incident in a span of five days, a DGCA official told.

The Directorate General Civil Aviation has ordered the grounding of pilots of that particular aircraft, the official said.

"A tail strike has been reported. The DGCA has ordered off rostering of pilots," the official said.

The DGCA has also ordered a probe into the incident, he added.

IndiGo, in a statement, confirmed the incident and said the aircraft has been grounded for inspection.

"IndiGo flight 6E6595 operating from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad experienced a tail strike while landing in Ahmedabad. The aircraft was declared grounded at Ahmedabad airport for necessary assessment and repairs. The incident is under investigation by relevant authorities," the airline said in an official statement.

Similar mishap on June 11
In a similar incident, an IndiGo aircraft was grounded at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi after it experienced a tail strike during its landing on June 11. The incident occurred when the aircraft was on its way from Kolkata to Delhi. No injuries were reported among the crew and passengers on board.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) provided details about the incident, stating that the IndiGo A321-252NX (Neo) aircraft, registered as VT-IMG, was operating flight 6E-6183 on the Kolkata-Delhi sector when the tail strike incident took place during landing at Delhi, 

The statement stated, “On 11th June, IndiGo A321-252NX (Neo) aircraft VT-IMG while operating flight 6E- 6183, sector Kolkata - Delhi was involved in a tail strike while landing at Delhi. The flight was uneventful till approach to land at Delhi. During approach on runway 27, the crew felt that they floated longer than normal and initiated a go-around."

What is a tail strike?
A tail strike occurs when the tail or empennage of an aircraft collides with the ground or any stationary object during take-off or landing, according to Boeing.com.

The DGCA has initiated a probe to determine the exact circumstances causing the tail strike. To ensure maximum safety of passengers, the aircraft has been grounded until further notice.

-B