Air India Plane Suffers Tail Strike At Bengaluru Airport

New Delhi: An Air India aircraft, AI2651, with 181 passengers onboard, suffered a tail strike during landing at the Bengaluru airport on Thursday morning and the plane has been grounded for a detailed inspection. The flight's tail hit the runway while landing at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru; however, the pilot managed to land safely.

An Air India spokesperson stated that all passengers and crew disembarked safely. "The matter will be investigated with the relevant authorities. The return flight AI2652, scheduled to depart from Bengaluru to Delhi, has been cancelled due to the incident. We have made alternative arrangements for the passengers," he said.

A source said the plane experienced "wake turbulence" when it was close to land, following which the pilot decided to perform a go-around manoeuvre. During the manoeuvre, there was a tail strike, sources said.

The "wake turbulence" was caused by the take-off of a wide-body aircraft in the vicinity, the source said. Specific details about the wide-body plane could not be ascertained. The source said there were 181 passengers onboard the aircraft that operated the flight AI2651.

According to the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) website, "wake turbulence" is a function of an aircraft producing lift, resulting in the formation of two counter-rotating vortices trailing behind the aircraft. Wake turbulence from the generating aircraft can affect encountering aircraft due to the strength, duration, and direction of the vortices, as per the website.

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