DGCA suspends licence of IndiGo pilots for landing in Ahmedabad with tail strike

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended the licences of the pilot and the co-pilot of an IndiGo flight that landed in Ahmedabad with a tail strike. The regulator said that the pilots violated aviation requirements and SOPs. 

The penalty by the DGCA is in connection with the landing of an IndiGo flight that departed from Bengaluru for Ahmedabad and experienced a tail strike while landing. No passengers were hurt during the incident. The DGCA eventually grounded the pilots and initiated an investigation. 

“IndiGo flight 6E6595 operating from Bengaluru to Ahmedabad experienced a tail strike while landing in Ahmedabad. The aircraft was declared grounded at Ahmedabad airport for necessary assessment and repairs. The incident is under investigation by relevant authorities,”  IndiGo had stated. 

A tail strike occurs when the tail of an aeroplane strikes or comes in contact with the runway either during take-off or landing. 

The DGCA, on Wednesday, stated that their investigation into the matter revealed that the crew carried out the landing in deviation from established SOPs. “Accordingly, both the crew members were issued a show cause notice by DGCA. After examination of their replies and relevant facts of the matter, the license of the PIC has been suspended for a period of 03 months and co-pilot has been suspended for a period of 01 month for violation of the provisions of the relevant Civil Aviation Requirements and SOPs,” it said. 

The June 15 incident was the second such incident in a matter of five days. Another Delhi-bound Kolkata IndiGo flight, on June 11, experienced a tail strike upon its landing. 

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