IndiGo aircraft’s belly scrapes runway again; plane grounded
The A321 is particularly susceptible to tail strikes because of its longer fuselage
An IndiGo Airbus A321's fuselage made contact with the runway during landing at Gorakhpur, marking the eighth such incident involving the airline's A321 fleet since earlier this week. The plane has been grounded since the August 19 incident, which occurred during a Delhi-Gorakhpur flight. The aircraft involved was an Airbus A321neo.
This marks at least the 10th tail-strike incident involving an IndiGo aircraft since 2023, with eight of those incidents involving A321s. The A321 is particularly susceptible to tail strikes due to its longer fuselage, and pilots have called for a thorough investigation to determine corrective actions. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) took over the probe after extensive damage to the underbelly of an IndiGo A321 during a tail strike in Delhi in September 2024.
The AAIB has launched a comprehensive investigation into all IndiGo A321 tail-strike incidents, but findings have not been made public yet. In January 2024, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of ₹30 lakh on IndiGo following an audit that revealed "systemic deficiencies" in operations, training, and engineering procedures related to tail strikes.
Airbus revised its Flight Crew Training Manual in January to prescribe initiating the landing flare at 40 feet for the A321, up from 30 feet for other aircraft in the family.
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