An Air India aircraft arriving from Delhi experienced a tail strike during its landing at the Bengaluru airport, leading to the grounding of the plane for a comprehensive technical inspection, while the incident occurred when the aircraft's tail made contact with the runway surface while touching down. Following the event, the scheduled return flight to Delhi was immediately cancelled to ensure the safety of the passengers and the integrity of the aircraft. Officials have confirmed that a detailed investigation will be conducted before the plane is cleared for its next flight.
Safety of Passengers and Crew
The flight, identified as AI2651, was traveling from Delhi to Bengaluru with 179 individuals on board, including the pilots and cabin crew members. Despite the impact during the landing phase, no injuries were reported among the passengers or the crew. Everyone on board remained safe throughout the process. The airline's ground team was quickly activated to assist the passengers and manage the situation at the airport.
Impact on Scheduled Operations
Due to the grounding of the aircraft for inspection, the return leg of the journey, flight number AI2652 from Bengaluru to Delhi, had to be cancelled. Air India's spokesperson stated that the flight was halted to allow experts to perform a thorough examination of the plane's structure. The airline expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to the travelers and emphasized that the safety of its employees and passengers remains the highest priority. Alternative arrangements were being made by the ground staff to transport the stranded passengers to Delhi.
The Role of Wake Turbulence
According to aviation officials, the incident was triggered by wake turbulence. It was reported that a B747 cargo aircraft had taken off just before the Air India A321 aircraft attempted its landing. The presence of wake turbulence from the larger cargo plane caused issues with the A321's wings, prompting the pilots to attempt a go-around at the last moment. However, during this maneuver, the tail of the aircraft struck the runway. To accommodate the affected passengers, Air India arranged for another aircraft to complete the journey to Delhi.
Understanding Wake Turbulence
Wake turbulence is a phenomenon that occurs when a large aircraft flies through the air, creating two powerful rotating vortices from its wingtips. These vortices can persist in the air for a significant amount of time and rotate at high speeds. If a smaller or following aircraft gets caught in these vortices, it faces the risk of sudden rolling, altitude changes, or loss of control, while these atmospheric disturbances can remain active for several minutes, particularly in calm weather conditions, making the landing and takeoff phases the most critical times for such risks.