Air India Express safety woes linger as jet makes emergency landing

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing a suspected tail strike incident involving a Dammam (Saudi Arabia)-bound Air India Express Boeing 737 aircraft on Friday.

The aircraft — with 168 passengers — made an emergency landing at Thiruvananthapuram, two hours after its departure from Kozhikode.

No one was hurt and the aircraft flew to Damman in the evening after inspection and necessary maintenance. Pilots operating in the Kozhikode-Dammam flight have been derostered.

“We are looking into the incident,” a senior DGCA official said.

This is the fourth air safety incident involving Air India Express aircraft in a month.

The airline did not respond to queries from Business Standard.

According to an Air India Express official, the Dammam-bound flight took off around 9.45 am and landed safely at 12.15 pm in Thiruvananthapuram, which has a longer runway. Also, a maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) unit of the airline is present at the airport. 

While the cause of the tail strike will be investigated, aviation sources said this can occur due to various reasons such as wrong take off speed or faulty flap settings.

“A probable cause for such occurrences could also be the piloting technique. Pilots pull back the control column in the cockpit after the aircraft attains a particular speed before take off. If this manoeuvre is not carried out correctly, it could result in a tail strike,” a senior captain added.

Aircraft manufacturers such as Boeing instruct pilots not to pressurise aircraft in case of a tail strike.

This is because continued pressurisation of aircraft can cause structural damage. Pilots are also advised to land at nearest suitable airports.

While Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram are a few minutes away, pilots burnt fuel and landed two and half hours later keeping in mind the aircraft’s minimum landing weight.

Recent incidents 

January 29: Aircraft coming from Sharjah makes an emergency landing at Kochi after suspected hydraulic failure

February 3: A Kozhikode-bound aircraft returned to Abu Dhabi following an engine snags

February 19: Aircraft towed upon arrival from Dubai in Thiruvananthapuram due to nose wheel issue

February 24: Dammam-bound aircraft involved in a tail strike incident