Air India flight with 181 passengers suffers tail-strike at Bengaluru airport

An Air India flight carrying 181 passengers was involved in a tail-strike incident while landing at Bengaluru airport on Thursday (May 21) morning, prompting the airline to ground the aircraft for a comprehensive technical examination.

The aircraft, an A321 narrow-body jet operating as flight AI2651 from Delhi to Bengaluru, landed without further incident and passengers exited normally after arrival.

An Air India spokesperson confirmed that the aircraft "experienced a tail-strike during landing".

Safe landing, aircraft grounded

According to the airline, the landing itself was completed safely and there were no issues during passenger or crew disembarkation.

According to a PTI report quoting a source familiar with the situation said the aircraft encountered "wake turbulence" as it approached the runway. The disturbance reportedly led the pilot to initiate a go-around procedure rather than continue with the landing attempt. During that manoeuvre, the aircraft's tail made contact with the ground, resulting in the strike.

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The report further stated that the "wake turbulence" was triggered by the departure of a wide-body aircraft operating nearby at the time.

Specific details about the wide-body plane could not be ascertained. There were 181 passengers onboard the aircraft that operated the flight AI2651.

Return flight cancelled

An Air India spokesperson said the plane has been grounded for detailed inspection and the incident will be investigated in accordance with established procedures, in coordination with the relevant regulatory authorities.

"As a result, the return flight AI2652 from Bengaluru to Delhi has been cancelled. Alternative arrangements are being made to accommodate affected passengers at the earliest.

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"Our ground teams in Bengaluru are providing all necessary assistance," the spokesperson said and regretted the inconvenience caused to the passengers.

Information from flight tracking website Flightradar24.com showed the flight was operated with an A321 aircraft.

What is wake turbulence?

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.

(With agency inputs)