Fog, loose wheel and fallen container: How Air India Airbus A350 engine was damaged at Delhi airport

NEW DELHI: A single loose wheel that came off a container transporter, causing the container to become unstable and topple, is likely to have led to the incident witnessed in dense fog on Thursday morning at IGIA, when an Airbus A350 engine ingested a container.

A preliminary investigation by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has revealed that a Bird Worldwide Flight Services (BWFS) tug was transporting a few containers to an area near bay 242 at Delhi airport on Thursday morning. The area is designated for Air Mauritius ground service equipment (GSE) parking.


These are the containers passengers typically see when aircraft are docked at airports for carrying baggage and other items.

“One of the wheels of the BWFS tug transporting the containers came off, causing a container to topple onto the taxiway. The equipment operator noticed an Air India aircraft taxiing in and vacated the spot with the remaining dollies and containers. However, the container that had fallen was left behind and was ingested into engine number two of the Air India A350 aircraft,” a senior official said.

The A350 had landed safely on runway 28. “During taxi to the apron at the taxiway N/N4 junction, engine number two ingested a cargo container, causing damage to the engine. After clearing the metal pieces, the aircraft was parked at stand 244,” the official added.

The DGCA’s air safety division (northern region) is probing the incident.