IndiGo flight suffers tail strike while landing at Ranchi airport; no injuries

An IndiGo aircraft experienced a tail strike while landing at Ranchi airport on Friday evening, officials said on Saturday. All passengers and crew on board were reported to be safe and unharmed.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 pm on December 12, when the flight, operating from Bhubaneswar to Ranchi, was landing with nearly 70 passengers on board.

Confirming the incident, Ranchi Airport Director Vinod Kumar said that the tail of the aircraft touched the runway during the landing, causing a sudden jolt that was felt by passengers. “Passengers experienced a sudden jolt, but everyone was safe and there were no injuries,” he said.

Following the incident, the aircraft was grounded after technical inspections found it unfit for further operations. As a result, the aircraft’s return flight from Ranchi to Bhubaneswar was cancelled.

Airport officials said that some passengers chose to cancel their travel plans, while others rescheduled their journeys. A few passengers were transported to Bhubaneswar by road as an alternative arrangement.

Both airline and airport authorities said the aircraft landed safely, and there were no immediate injuries reported among passengers or crew. Further details regarding the cause of the tail strike are awaited.

Tail strike incidents have been a matter of concern in the past for IndiGo. In 2023, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fined the airline following a special audit triggered by a series of similar incidents involving its A321 aircraft.

At that time, the regulator cited shortcomings in documentation, operational procedures, training, engineering practices, and flight data monitoring. IndiGo aircraft were reported to have experienced multiple tail strike incidents during the first half of 2023.

The DGCA had imposed a penalty of INR 30 lakh for these deficiencies.