Huge Dent, Huge Problem: IndiGo Flight Incident

As an IndiGo aircraft was taking off from Delhi airport, it struck the runway and sustained damage to the tail area. When the incident occurred on September 9, IndiGo flight 6E 6054 was scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru. A significant tail strike is indicated by the numerous white dents seen in the blue paint of the aircraft skin when viewing the damage to the tail section.

When an aircraft’s tail strikes the runway during takeoff or landing, it is known as a tail strike. This can be hazardous since it can result in structural damage, particularly to the pressurized cabin’s rear pressure bulkhead, a cone-shaped section of the aircraft’s tail.

The pilot immediately notified the air traffic controller (ATC) of the situation, and they authorized the landing. The airplane made a safe landing. Following a tailstrike incident on September 9 at Delhi airport, the civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has grounded the pilots involved. After suffering a significant tail strike on IndiGo’s Airbus A321neo VT-IBI flight 6E 6054 from Delhi to Bengaluru, the aircraft has been grounded for the last eight days.

Although the suspension’s final terms are still up in the air, the pilots concerned have been grounded as the DGCA investigates the event. According to an early account, the regulator gave both pilots a show-cause notice following the event.

STATEMENT BY THE AIRLINE

While commenting on the incident, IndiGo said on September 17: “On 9th September 2024, an IndiGo A321 was grounded in Bangalore due to a tail strike. The aircraft is currently under maintenance and will be back in operations post necessary repairs. The incident is under investigation.”

The DGCA suspended the IndiGo pilots implicated in a tail strike incident at Ahmedabad airport last year. The co-pilot received a one-month suspension, but the pilot-in-command received a three-month suspension. After IndiGo’s A321 aircraft experienced four tail strike accidents in 2023, the aviation regulator additionally penalized the carrier Rs 30 lakh. From January to June 2023, IndiGo recorded four incidences in which an aircraft’s tail struck the ground as it landed or took off.