AI plane’s tail scrapes runway while going around at Bengaluru

NEW DELHI: An Airbus A321 operated by Air India with about 190 people aboard suffered a tail strike while going around — aborting landing and taking off again — at Bengaluru airport on Thursday.

A Boeing 747 jumbo jet had taken off before this flight from Delhi was to land. The enormous wake turbulence — aerial equivalent of the impact seen on water when a big ship is going full steam ahead — generated by the jumbo jet led the pilots to opt for go-around at the last minute to avoid getting caught in the turbulence after touchdown. In the process, the A321’s tail scraped the runway.

The aircraft came back to safely land on the second attempt and has now been grounded for checks. DGCA has been studying for a long time the issue of tail strikes by Indian carriers using the longfuselage A321 aircraft and launched a probe into Thursday’s case. The pilots have been off-rostered pending the probe outcome. An airline spokesperson said, “AI2651 operating from Delhi to Bengaluru on May 21 experienced a tail strike during landing. The aircraft landed safely, and all passengers and crew disembarked normally.”

He added that the return flight from Bengaluru to Delhi was cancelled. “Alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate affected passengers at the earliest.” To avoid smaller planes getting caught in turbulent air caused by bigger jets, International Civil Aviation Organisation prescribes precautions such as greater separation for a smaller jet to land on a runway from where a bigger one is taking off.