An IndiGo flight suffered a tail strike while landing at the Kempegowda International Airport in Karnataka's Bengaluru on Sunday, said officials, pointing out that the gusty winds likely caused the incident.
The flight 6E 6542 was travelling to Bengaluru from the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Assam's Guwahati.
In a statement, the airline said the aircraft had managed to land at the airport in its second attempt, adding no injuries were reported and all the passengers, alongside the crew, were disembarked safely.
It further said the aircraft has been grounded and will resume operation after its gets necessary clearances from authorities. Some media reports have also claimed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has taken cognisance of the incident and launched an investigation into it.
"An IndiGo aircraft operating flight 6E 6542 from Guwahati to Bengaluru experienced an ‘Abnormal Runway Contact’ while landing during gusty weather at Kempegowda International Airport, Bengaluru," the IndiGo's statement read.
"In line with standard operating procedures, all relevant authorities were informed, and the aircraft is undergoing maintenance checks. It will resume operations after securing necessary clearances," it added.
When an IndiGo flight parking pole in Srinagar
A similar incident was reported at the Srinagar airport earlier this month when an IndiGo flight hit a pole while parking, leaving the aircraft damaged; although no injuries were reported.
The flight 6E 225 (VT-NOG), which was operating from Navi Mumbai to Srinagar, was being positioned at Bay No.6 when it hit the Visual Docking Guidance System (VDGS) pole during the parking process.
The crew and the passengers were deboarded safely from the flight with the help of manual aircraft stairs.
Later, the Airport Authority of India (AAI) said a probe would be launched and a thorough investigation would be conducted to ascertain how the incident took place. Meanwhile, operations at the airport had remained normal despite that incident.
"All passengers and crew members are safe, and no injuries have been reported," the statement by the AAI said. "The exact cause will be ascertained following the completion of the inquiry, and no conclusion regarding the cause is being drawn at this stage."
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