IndiGo A321 suffers tail strike, 7th incident in 2 years
What's the story
An IndiGo aircraft (Airbus A321) suffered a tail strike during a low-altitude go-around at Mumbai Airport on Saturday. The flight, 6E 1060, was arriving from Bangkok when it encountered heavy rainfall and had to abort its initial landing attempt. The aircraft successfully landed on its second approach around 3:00am. This incident is the seventh tail strike in two years for IndiGo's A321 fleet, prompting concerns from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Regulatory scrutiny
Airline fined ₹30 lakh in July 2023
The DGCA has expressed concern over the repeated tail strikes with IndiGo's A321 fleet. In July 2023, the regulator had fined IndiGo ₹30 lakh for four tail strikes in six months, citing "systemic deficiencies pertaining to operations, training procedures, and engineering procedures." The airline will now conduct necessary checks and repairs before the aircraft can resume operations.
Information
What is tail strike?
According to aviation website Skybrary, a tail strike occurs when an aircraft's aft fuselage touches the runway during takeoff or landing. Most tail strikes happen on landing and are often due to human error. Environmental factors like strong winds can also contribute to such incidents.