An Air India aircraft experienced a tailstrike while touching down at Bengaluru airport, according to officials. The flight, which had departed from Delhi, landed without any injuries, and all passengers and crew exited the plane normally.
A tailstrike occurs when the tail section of a plane makes contact with the runway surface during takeoff or landing, after which every affected aircraft must undergo a mandatory structural examination.
The flight in question, Air India AI2651, an Airbus A321, has been taken out of service pending a thorough inspection, and its scheduled return trip to Delhi has been scrapped as a result. The Tata Group-owned carrier stated it is working to rebook affected passengers as quickly as possible, with ground staff in Bengaluru on hand to offer support. The airline added that the matter would be probed in line with standard protocols and in consultation with aviation regulators.
Expressing regret over the disruption, an Air India spokesperson reaffirmed that the safety of passengers and crew is the airline's foremost concern.
Sources indicated that a Boeing 747 had just taken off moments before Air India AI2651 began its final descent. The wake turbulence generated by the 747's engines may have prompted the Air India pilot to initiate a go-around, a standard precautionary procedure, though the tailstrike still occurred during the landing attempt.
