On Thursday, an Air India aircraft that had experienced a tail-strike accident on landing from Delhi to Bengaluru was grounded and the investigation has been handed over to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The tail of the plane touched the runway while it was trying to land at the Bengaluru airport, officials aware of the situation said. The plane has safely landed with no injuries reported among the passengers and crew. But the plane was grounded for detailed technical checks immediately by aviation authorities.
Air India stated that it had confirmed the incident in relation to flight AI2651 and the aircraft will continue to be out of service until all the safety checks are carried out. The airline also stated that the operating pilots were not put on duty until the investigation was complete.
Wake turbulence could have played a role in the accident, officials said. A large cargo Boeing 747 had just left the airport before the attempt to land by the Air India Airbus A321, sources said. This created a disturbance in the air which caused the pilots to perform a late go around manoeuvre before hitting the runway with the tail.
Wake turbulence is the intense turbulence that forms behind an aircraft, particularly large jets, that can impact aircraft in the vicinity as they take off or land.
Due to the incident, the flight from Bengaluru to Delhi (AI2652) was cancelled, and the inconvenience was caused to the passengers. Air India had said alternative travel arrangements were being made while ground teams were helping the affected passengers at the airport.
DGCA has opened an official inquiry into the incident to find out the exact cause of it and also to check whether all the operational procedures were followed.